Situation Vacant
by CSI1983
Summary: When an old friend asks Walter to perform his autopsy, a simple lab accident results in Olivia and Peter being plunged into a case that is far more twisted than either of them expect. Set in the gap of season four and five P/O
1. Chapter 1

_A/N - So here it is folks, the new story. Slow chapter to start but that's never a bad thing :)_

_This one is based on a four hour conversation I had with my little sister. To be fair, that is where this entire idea came from._

_This one sits in the lovely gap of season four and five. _

_So read, enjoy and review_

Chapter One – It's Not Us, It's Them

Peter resisted the urge to laugh, knowing that it was a possible death sentence if he did. Olivia was already self-conscious enough without him adding to it. Olivia paused, licked her fingers before taking a breath and continuing. He thought that getting the cooked chicken from the deli was a good idea. It was quicker than cooking it at home and he figured it would do lunch as well as dinner. He had been wrong. Olivia had been like a bloodhound as soon as he walked through the door. He hadn't even had a chance to make a salad before she started eating it, tearing off a drumstick and munching away while she got the plates. He took a couple of slices from the breast and then sat back and watched his normally demure wife gobble down the rest. He knew that a woman's appetite increased with pregnancy but he was still deeply impressed. She never seemed to get full. And it was highly amusing. Olivia had rounded out nicely and Peter found her just as sexy with curves as he did with her normally lanky frame. He sometimes idly wondered why she wasn't the size of the house considering the torrent of food that always seemed to enter her system.

"Aren't you hungry?"

Peter glanced down at his plate, realizing he had only eaten half his food.

"I'm fine. I had a big lunch."

Olivia nodded before finishing off the last of the chicken.

"That was delicious."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Olivia smiled slightly.

"I need something sweet to finish it off."

This time Peter couldn't help the chuckle. Olivia, her head in the fridge, turned to glare at him.

"Something funny?"

Peter held up his hands.

"No, nothing at all."

Olivia sat back down, having found something that appealed. It was the other half of a cheesecake that Walter had made. Peter shook his head when she offered him some, watching as she cleaned off the plate quickly. She sat back with a sigh, a hand over her expanding belly.

"That was great. Remind me to thank Walter again for that cheesecake."

"You mean the one that produced dry-wrenching yesterday?"

Olivia smiled.

"I know. Your child can't make up its mind."

Peter started clearing up the kitchen, hearing Olivia migrate to the living room and switch on the T.V. It had been a long day. And it wasn't because of work. He was tired from defending Olivia and her right to keep working. If this was any other job, she would fine right up until the day she delivered. But with Fringe, it was risky. But Peter had decided to ignore the risks because he knew what not working would do to his wife. She would go nuts. She liked to keep moving, it helped, not only with her sanity but also with the pregnancy. She wouldn't take any risks, he knew that He had watched more than once when Olivia had taken a back seat to the action. But the FBI seemed determined to put her on home arrest. Walter had backed Peter up, saying he would refuse to work with another agent and they had managed to buy a little more time. Peter wanted to keep Olivia happy, that was his entire reason for being sometimes. If she was happy, so was he, simple as that. He had made the promise in his wedding vows and he wasn't going to turn his back on it just because she was pregnant. She was still his Olivia Dunham. Well, Bishop now. He had to keep reminding himself of that.

"Peter, come and see this."

Peter flicked the light off in the kitchen and moved into the living room. Olivia lifted her feet and placed them on his lap. She was watching the news.

"Apparently, Dr Duncan Freelancer is missing."

"Who?"

"The guy that was working on brain degeneration."

"Oh. You mean the zombie doctor?"

Olivia shook her head.

"There's no such thing as zombies."

Peter smiled.

"Maybe not _Night of The Living Dead_ but people being reanimated? Not really my idea of good science."

"It's interesting though. I mean, he could have wiped dementia off the face of the earth."

"Yeah but did you hear why he's not doing it on human trials?"

Olivia shook her head.

"It's because something happened to the rats. They turned on each other."

"That's why they start on rats. Just imagine if the science could work. It's sad that it was cut off like that."

"How long has he been missing?"

"Two weeks. It was only reported today because he was a bit of a recluse. He missed his meeting with one of his interns and she got concerned."

"So you're telling me that you agree with all of this?"

Olivia shrugged.

"I think so. All science has to start somewhere, right?"

Peter shook his head before tugging off Olivia's socks and starting the ritual of rubbing her feet. She had just started having issues with swelling and they quickly discovered that nightly rubs made it easier on her.

"You have been hanging out with Walter way too much."

"Are you saying my new father-in-law has been a bad influence on me?"

"He's always been a bad influence. It just seems to have gotten worse."

Olivia laughed.

"Walter just explained some things to me."

"What exactly did he explain?"

"Well, there are diseases, real ones, that cause people to act the way zombies do. And I only say that because there is no other comparison. Lack of physical control, delusions and madness."

"Like what?"

"Mad cow disease for one thing."

"Ok, so far I'm with you."

"And there are tribes that still preform cannibalism where the same brain degeneration is present and it's called Prion or Kuru, depending on who you speak to."

"I am deeply impressed."

"By what?"

"Just how much you know about all of this."

"What, you don't think I pay attention when Walter gives his lectures?"

"No, I just thought you dismissed it. Like I do."

"Normally, yes."

Peter chuckled. In the time that she had been pregnant, Olivia had shown some little shifts in her personality and emotions. She was easy to tear up, her frustrations levels were through the roof and she was softer somehow. She would turn to mush over the puppies in the park and seemed to take on sympathies for people that didn't deserve it. And to Peter, this Dr Freelance was one of them. He had seen the destruction that science could do. And the destruction that a man without straight thoughts could produce. In fact both he and Olivia had lived through it time and time again.

"So, are you going to tell me that you want this case now?"

Olivia shook her head.

"No. I was just saying that it was sad. There's nothing Fringe worthy about it."

"That sounds like a good thing."

"True. But I like this little bout of peace, why jinx it?"

Peter smiled and finished off Olivia's foot massage before sliding off the sofa and kneeling on the floor, looking over their DVD collection.

"So what did we establish were bad movies for you?"

"Anything with dogs."

"Check. Marley and Me is a no go. What else?"

He could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. Since she had gotten pregnant, vegeing out like this had become one of their favourite things to do. So much so, that they had to add to their DVD collection to mix things up.

"No romance. Oh what about Resident Evil?"

Peter turned on his heel to look at her.

"Are you serious?"

Olivia smiled.

"Yes."

Peter sighed.

"I get the feeling all this zombie talk should have me concerned. But I'm going to mark it up to hormones. Right, which one?"

"The first one. And technically, you're not right by the way."

"How so?"

Peter popped the DVD into the player changed the settings on the TV before settling back on the sofa.

"On Resident Evil, the people are infected by a virus. Remember? The release of the toxin?"

"Perhaps we should pick another movie? One that you don't know the plot of."

"Nope. I like this one, it's funny."

Peter shook his head, wondering at the working of the pregnant woman's mind. How could someone so incredibly logical and intelligent be reduced to discussing zombies? Olivia shifted on the sofa, snuggling into Peter's side as the movie started, a small smile on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N - Hey guys! Second chapter, I just want to get this thing started and the first chapter is like a sample plate at a resturant...always leaves you wanting more._

_So read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Two – Singing And Dancing

Peter woke up to the now normal morning sound of Olivia vomiting. He went into the bathroom, popping two anti-nausea pills into his hand and filling a glass of water before kneeling beside Olivia. He waited for the inevitable end before, handing them to her with a soft smile. She threw back the pills and the water, sitting back on her heels.

"Sorry."

"Liv, if you apologized every time you threw up, we would never have a normal conversation."

Olivia shrugged.

"True."

She stood and Peter wet the wash cloth by the sink, running it under cold water before handing it to Olivia, who pressed it first to her face and then to the back of her neck.

"Feel better?"

"Yes. It's always first thing in the morning. I get the feeling this little one might not be a morning person."

"Then the baby will have to find a job with a night shift."

Olivia chuckled. Peter pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Feel like eating something?"

"How about we start with a cup of tea?"

Peter took her hand and they moved downstairs, Olivia sitting at the breakfast bar while Peter made her tea. He placed it in front of her before getting himself a cup of coffee. Olivia sniffed the air deeply.

"I miss coffee."

"Small sacrifice all things considered."

"You try going without and then we'll talk."

Peter watched her sip her tea. Her colour was already coming back and she seemed brighter. When she was almost done, Peter popped down a couple of slices of toast. He buttered them lightly before handing them to Olivia.

"Did you want jam?"

"Lemon curd please."

Peter retrieved the jar from the fridge, sliding it in front of her. Olivia had developed cravings for strong tastes, the lemon curd being her latest favourite. It got to the point where she would eat it directly from the jar with a spoon, or lacking that, her finger. At the rate she was going, they happily went through three large jars a week. He watched as she put a thick layer on each slice of toast before eating them, pausing to lick the excess off her fingers.

"Do you want another tea?"

Olivia, mouth full of toast, just nodded. Peter made her another tea before popping down some toast for himself. With breakfast done, Olivia sighed and stretched.

"I need to go have a shower before we go and visit Walter."

Peter frowned.

"We're going to see Walter?"

Olivia nodded.

"We promised. Plus, he seems to get a kick out of doing the scans himself."

"I know. I just don't understand why we can't go to the hospital like a normal couple."

Olivia laughed.

"Because we're not normal. Remember?"

* * *

When they arrived at the lab, Walter clapped with delight, kissing Olivia on the cheek, his hand coming to rest on her stomach. Olivia was always surprised that mothers-to-be let people stroke their stomachs. She had learnt that with a carefully placed glare, she could beat people off. And it was just going to get worse the further along she got. And she thought Walter doing it would annoy her too. But it didn't. He had been doing it since she had found out she was pregnant, it was almost natural that he did it, a habit that he wasn't aware of.

"Hello Walter."

Walter ignored Peter's greeting, bending low to speak to Olivia's stomach.

"Hello grandchild of mine. How are you? We are going to see you today so I hope that you are on your best behaviour."

Olivia grinned.

"Aside from making me sick every morning, baby Bishop is pretty well behaved."

Walter stood up straight, a frown on his face.

"How are you feeling now? I have some herbal-"

"I'm fine Walter, really. The doctor gave me some anti-nausea pills when I first got pregnant."

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes I have. Two slices of toast and two cups of tea."

Walter offered her a small smile.

"Good. If you change your mind about the tea-"

"I'll come and see you."

"Hey Walter, did you get a case that you didn't tell us about?"

Both Walter and Olivia glanced at Peter, who was standing over a body, sheet lifted, a frown on his face. Walter chuckled moving over to his son, Olivia close behind, peeking under the sheet. The man was about Walter's age with a deep, receding hairline, his face wrinkled with the lines of his life.

"Who is he?"

"That, my dear boy, is Theodore Grafton."

"Yeah, that doesn't clear things up Walter. Why is he on your table?"

"He's an old friend of mine. He used to write to me while I was in St Claire's. He never visited though, I didn't want him to see me like that."

Peter glanced at Olivia.

"Ok. Again, he's here why?"

"Hold on."

Walter wondered into his office and then came back an envelope in his hands.

"I got this letter from his lawyer yesterday."

He handed the envelope to Peter. Olivia moved closer to read over his shoulder.

**_Dear Walter,_**

**_If you are reading this letter, then my illness clearly got the better of me. I know that you may be surprised by this news but I was determined to live as normal of a life as possible. _**

**_I have spent many years going over our time together and I have concluded with much surprise, that you were my closet confidante and friend. I know I never visited you in St Claire's, and even though it was at your request, I pray that you forgive me for listening. _**

**_Even though we spoke on the phone recently, I still wish once again to extend my congratulations to you. I can tell you from personal experience that becoming a grandfather is like a second chance at fatherhood. Seize it with both hands, old friend. I hope that the baby is born healthy. From what you've told me of your son and new daughter-in-law, the chances of intelligence are already through the roof._**

**_So, I have one last favour old friend. I know that it seems like an odd request, but I wish for you to perform the autopsy. Call it old paranoia or an old man's dying thoughts, but I cannot think of anyone else that I would trust with a task that I know needs to be performed. _**

**_I wish you all the luck in the world with the rest of your life, old friend._**

**_Until we meet again,_**

**_Theodore._**

Peter read the letter twice before commenting.

"Seems like an odd request. He said he died from an illness right? Why would an autopsy needed?"

Walter took the letter back folding it carefully before putting it into his pocket.

"Because I need to take samples for testing at the lab."

"What did he die of?"

"According to his file, bowl cancer. The samples I take could help with future research and testing."

"That's nice of him."

"Theodore was man of science until the end."

Olivia glanced around, realizing that something was missing.

"Where's Astrid?"

"Oh Asteroid went to get doughnuts. She knows you have thing for those lemon ones and thought it would be nice."

Olivia nodded.

"She was right."

Peter sighed, glancing at Walter.

"So are you ok?"

Walter frowned.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well your friend is dead and he's lying on your table waiting for you to cut him up."

Walter shrugged.

"He lived a long, fulfilled life. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't act on his last request?"

Peter watched as Walter hovered over the body again, making certain it was completely covered. Olivia caught the concerned look but Walter was Walter. If he wanted to do this for his old friend, then who were they to stop him? Walter clapped his hands.

"Right, do you want to check out this little one now?"

Olivia glanced at Peter before shaking her head.

"I want to wait until Astrid is here. She's been here for the last two. Kind of a tradition now."

"Fair enough. I wonder if Astor prepped my instruments for the autopsy."

Walter wondered off and Peter come to stand next to Olivia, his arms over his chest as he watched his father.

"I hope he's ok."

"He seems fine."

"I know but still."

Olivia leaned against Peter, who shifted to put his arms around her.

"Peter, he's fine. He wants to do this for his friend."

"I'm only going to believe you because I'm never going to win an argument with you until baby Bishop is out."

"How so?"

"Because with the hormones. You could kill with a look."

Olivia laughed, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"So I don't need the gun anymore."

"Nope. Just give them that Medusa look you've got going and they will be begging for the handcuffs."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N - Hey guys. I had a bad day so to cheer myself up, I decided to post another chapter..._

_I hope this one is as loved as the previous two!_

_As always..._

_Read, enjoy and review!_

_:)_

Chapter Three – As The Earth Spins

By the time Astrid had arrived with the large box of doughnuts, Walter had been running through baby names ideas, old ones that didn't fit the image that Olivia had in her head.

"Sorry guys, traffic was crazy. Olivia, I got you those lemon ones you like so much."

Olivia gave her a wide smile as she snatched a doughnut from the box.

"Astrid, you are my hero."

"I know."

Astrid placed the box on the table before heading over to the body of Theodore Grafton, pausing mid-step. She huffed angrily before turning to Walter.

"Walter, I asked you not to touch anything until I got back."

Walter offered her a wide-eyed look, doughnut pausing on its way to his mouth.

"I was just making sure that you had the right equipment."

"Well, you touched things and now I have to find them again. What did you do with the skull saw?"

Walter shrugged, turning his focus back to the doughnut. Olivia watched the whole thing with a small smile They sounded like an old married couple sometimes. Walter licked off the crumbs from his fingers before clapping his hands.

"Let's check in on this little one, shall we?"

Olivia nodded and settled herself on the hard bed, pulling up her shirt and sliding her pants down to sit on her hips, not that it was difficult. Her pants had been getting too tight to move much further up anyway.

"Ok my dear, it's going to be a little cold."

She knew it would be cold, but he always warned her. He squirted the gel onto her stomach, flicked on the ultrasound screen and the room soon filled with the steady heartbeat of the little Bishop growing inside of her. She loved that soft, steady swishing sound. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. Walter wiped the tears from his eyes. He cried every time. Peter took her hand, squeezing gently. Astrid was wearing a wide grin, her annoyance at Walter now frogotten. Olivia watched as the baby shifted, waving a tiny arm, kicking a tiny leg. It was amazing how fast baby Bishop was growing.

"Do you want to know the sex?"

"No."

Olivia flashed Peter a smile when they answered in unison. They had decided to keep it a surprise a long time ago. Walter took the scanner off her stomach but left the image of baby Bishop on the screen. Olivia wiped the gel of her stomach, remaining where she was, her eyes locked on the screen. It was strange, seeing the baby like this. She knew she was pregnant, there was no doubt about that. It was more being able to see the baby that made it that much more real to her. Even the shrill sound of the skull drill couldn't break her gaze, locked on the tiny moving figure that sat within her. She heard Walter swear, catching the movement of him spilling something directly onto Theodore Grafton's brain.

"Walter, what was that?"

"Just water, Aspen. Nothing serious."

It was moments later that she heard the groan and the shocked gasps from Astrid and Walter. She raised her eyes in time to see them both take a step back. Olivia frowned at the movement coming from under the sheet. Coming from a corpse.

"Walter, what's going on."

"I have no idea."

It was Astrid who moved slightly closer, pulling off the sheet. The next movement was so sudden that Olivia almost missed it. Theodore Grafton was now sitting up, looking at them. She heard Peter curse. But no one seemed able to move. It was a shock. Olivia felt her heart thump harder as she reached for her gun, pulling it from her holster and onto her lap. Before she could think of her next move, the corpse that was once Theodore Grafton lunged off the slab towards Walter and Astrid, howling with a scarily animal sound. He grabbed Astrid before she could move away, gnashing his teeth and pulling at her clothes. Astrid screamed. Olivia raised her arm, aimed and pulled the trigger. Dr Grafton feel to the ground, now silent. Olivia slid off the bed and moved closer.

"What the hell was that?"

Walter's voice was shaky.

"Something rather unexpected."

Olivia glanced at Astrid.

"Are you ok?"

Astrid nodded, her eyes still on the corpse on the floor, as if she expected it to come to life again. Olivia half expected the same thing. She kept her gun levelled at it, waiting for movement, but there was nothing. Peter had moved with her, his attention on Astrid. Olivia nudged Grafton with her foot but there was nothing. After a second, she slid her gun back into her holster and looked at Walter.

"An explanation would be fantastic right about now."

Walter shrugged, his face pale.

"I have no explanation."

Peter attention was on Astrid, who had a few narrow scratches on her throat.

"Peter, I'm fine."

"A dead man comes to life, attacks you and you're fine? Cause I'm not and nothing happened to me."

Astrid smiled slightly. Peter sighed and turned to Olivia who was still standing over Grafton's body.

"Does this mean you want this case?"

"What case?"

"The-dead-man-coming-to-life-in-the lab case."

"I don't think this constitutes a case."

Peter glanced at Walter, who was studying Grafton with a small frown on his face.

"Can you give me a hand putting him back on the table?"

Walter cleared his throat, putting down his scalpel.

"Of course, Son."

Together, they lifted Grafton off the ground and back onto the table. Both Olivia and Astrid took a step away instinctively but nothing happened. His eyes were closed and aside from the bullet that had torn through his exposed brain, he seemed like a normal corpse.

"Walter?"

"Yes my dear?"

"I think we are going to stay here until you finish the autopsy."

"That seems appropriate."

* * *

Olivia sighed, shrugging off her coat and heading to the kitchen. She was starving.

"You hungry?"

Peter nodded, a frown still on his face. It was the same one he had been wearing all day as they had watched Walter continue with the autopsy. Other than the conclusion that Walter believed that Grafton's heavy smoking could be a contributing factor in his bowl cancer, there was nothing else. There was absolutely no reason for Grafton to find a second burst of life. It was bothering Olivia too but her stomach pulled her attention from her thoughts. She made some sandwiches with thick slices of ham and mustard, handing Peter a soda before taking the seat across from him. They ate in silence, Olivia watching Peter, who was clearly distracted.

"Ok, spill."

Peter sighed and put aside his sandwich, only half eaten.

"Grafton's sudden burst of life doesn't bother you?"

"Well yes, but I'm pregnant. Food comes first."

Peter chuckled.

"Ok, I'll give you that. A dead man coming to life bothers me. How does that happen?"

"You're asking me?"

"Well, you're the one that's convinced of a zombie apocalypse."

Olivia laughed. She couldn't help it.

"Really?"

Peter shrugged.

"Grafton was dead. Has been that way for two days. Walter removed his skull and then suddenly, he comes to life again. And Walter has no explanations."

"Not all the results are back yet."

"Not the point. How did that even happen?"

"Hopefully, Walter can find a reason."

"He was just as confused as we were. Which concerns me more."

Olivia finished off her sandwich before moving around to Peter, putting her arms around his neck.

"You worry far too much."

"Hypocrite."

"You do. It's an isolated incident, a blip on the Fringe radar. Walter said he would call us if he found anything. You need to forget about it."

She pressed a kiss to his temple.

"Ok?"

Peter sighed, resting his head on her chest..

"Fine. What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

Olivia smiled.

"I could really go for some frozen yoghurt. With nuts."

Peter laughed.

"Sounds like a plan."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N - Hey guys...I'm so glad that this story is hitting the mark. I know that some of you were looking forward to Etta making a guest spot but I wanted to see Olivia pregnant and all the crap she would have to deal with._

_So, thanks for all the happiness :)_

_Read, enjoy and review..._

Chapter Four – When The Ends Never Meet

They were back in their normal position in front of the TV when Olivia's phone rang. She sighed, frowning as she glanced at the screen.

"Broyles."

Peter flicked off the TV as Olivia answered the phone.

"Dunham"

"I have a case for you."

"Really?"

Fringe had been quiet at the moment and Olivia had taken it all for granted that it would remain that way.

"Yes, really. Here's the address."

Olivia quickly wrote it down before hanging up the phone.

"We have a case."

"Really?"

"Apparently so."

Olivia took her feet off Peter's lap and headed into the bedroom to get changed, something that she hated doing lately. She had basically been living in track pants and t-shirts for the last couple of months. Her body had changed so much that many of her clothes didn't fit. Which meant a shopping trip, something that she avoided with great passion. It took her almost fifteen minutes before she found an outfit that would fit and be appropriate for work.

"You need some new clothes."

Peter stood in the door way, a small smile on his face. Olivia sighed and tugged on her work boots.

"I hate clothes shopping."

"I know, but Honey, you are just going to get bigger. Eventually nothing will fit."

Olivia shook her head, pulling on her coat.

"I know. But how about we sort out this case first?"

"Did Broyles tell you anything?"

"Nope."

Peter sighed.

"That's never a good sign."

* * *

When they arrived on the scene, Broyles was waiting for them. He frowned, glancing at the house where people were moving in and out.

"Welcome to the land of confusion."

Olivia offered him a small smile.

"We should be used to it by now, right?"

Broyles shook his head.

"Not like this."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it. You need to see it for yourself."

Olivia glanced at Peter before they entered the house, side by side. The first thing she noticed was the smell of blood. The next was the body that sat in the small kitchen. Olivia's stomach turned. The body was torn to shreds. There was an arm by the dishwasher, a leg by the entryway of the hallway and internal organs all over the floor.

"Whoa."

Peter moved closer, his face pale.

"What the hell happened here?"

"I think the more appropriate question is who the hell did this."

Peter leaned over the body, his eyes on the victims face. She was an older woman, her eyes still open, her back arched.

"Her throat's been ripped out. An animal perhaps?"

"They don't own any pets."

Olivia turned to find Broyles standing behind them.

"Any witnesses?"

Broyles shook his head.

"No. I talked to the neighbours, they heard yelling. And then screaming."

"Who found her?"

"The mailman. He saw the front door open and could spot her from the doorway."

"Is he still here?"

"Yes. But I don't think you'll get anything from him."

"Why?"

"Because he's in the ambulance, damn near catatonic. Barely got his name out of the guy."

Peter stood.

"Hardly surprising."

Olivia frowned.

"Who did they hear arguing?"

Broyles glanced down at his notes.

"Mrs Branson here lived with her son, Jacob."

"Where is he?"

"Gone. We tried to call his phone but got no response. And he never made it to work."

Olivia stood and looked around the small kitchen. There was no sign of a weapon, just the struggle while Mrs Branson fought for her life. She turned to Peter.

"We should get Walter down here. Perhaps he can tell us a little more before we move the body."

Peter nodded and took out his phone. That's when Olivia saw them. Bloody boot prints that lead away from the body and towards the front door. Her eyes were so drawn to the mangled body she almost didn't see them.

"It wasn't an animal."

She pointed the prints out to Broyles and Peter.

"If it was an animal, there would be prints leading out of the house."

"So a man did this?"

"According to the boot prints."

Broyles frowned and she only half listened as Peter explained the situation to Astrid, her eyes still on the remains of Mrs Branson.

* * *

Walter clicked his tongue, glancing over the remains of Mrs Branson, his face pulled into a deep frown.

"What Walter?"

"I can't see any bite marks. Aside from the one on her throat."

Olivia looked over Mrs Branson, not seeing what Walter meant.

"So?"

"She appears to be torn apart. See, this for example."

Walter had lifted up the dismembered arm, pointing to the rips and tears in the flesh.

"This was torn off. But her throat is something else entirely."

He dropped the arm back on the floor, letting it hit the ground with a wet slap that made Olivia wince. She moved over to kneel next to Walter, who had turned Mrs Benson's head slightly.

"This was torn too but with teeth. You can see the indentations on her flesh."

"Broyles said that it could be an animal."

Walter shrugged.

"Perhaps. But in my experience an animal that is hungry enough to tear into a person will generally eat something along the way. From what I can see, Mrs Benson here still has all her parts accounted for."

Olivia's stomach flipped again, except this time she couldn't ignore it. The vomit inched up her throat. She tried to swallow it back down but it didn't work.

"Excuse me."

Walter glanced at her.

"Are you ok?"

Olivia nodded, ignoring his concerned look as she moved as quickly as she could out the door. She made it to the edge of the yard before the vomit started filling her mouth. She bent over and emptied her stomach onto the pale, green grass. She sat back on her heels and took a few deep breaths, wiping her mouth on the edge of her sleeve. She hated this. Her pregnancy made her a prisoner to her own body. She didn't think she would mind it so much if it wasn't for the fact that she had never been so easy to vomit. Considering what they had faced at one point or another, it was surprising.

"If this is too much-"

The ultimate humiliation. Her own boss seeing her throw up like some green investigator. She stood and faced Broyles.

"I'm fine."

"You vomited."

"I'm pregnant. It happens."

Broyles sighed, his hands in his pockets.

"Which is another reason for our concern."

Olivia frowned.

"Our?"

"The ones that sit over my head. They want to know why you aren't on desk duty yet."

"Because, if I was on desk duty, I would go insane."

"It's safer for you and for Fringe Division."

Olivia felt the anger swell easily in her chest. She felt the indignation that came with is words. She knew what he meant.

"You think I can't do my job."

"That's not it Dunham, you know that. Our concern is the risk."

"What risk? I haven't been involved with anything dangerous since I found out I was pregnant. Do you really think that I would put my child or myself in jeopardy like that?"

Her cheeks felt hot and she could feel the slight tremor in her hands. Broyles shook his head.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. As for your bosses, if they have something to say to me, they can say it to my face. And while you are making that appointment, remind them that without me, they wouldn't have Walter or my husband. They can come and do the work themselves."

Olivia brushed past Broyles and back into the house, angry and frustrated. She knew she was making the right choice, had questioned herself more than once about her options. Just thinking about sitting at home alone made her feel bored. For her own sanity, keeping busy was the best thing for her. Her hand rested on her stomach, remembering the tiny person on the screen. How could anyone think that she would put her child at risk?


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N - And so it continues..._

_Read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Five – On Second Thought

"No! It won't happen. Do you want me to have a word with that Agent Broyles? Because it sounds like he needs a good telling off!"

Walter's indignation was sweet and made Olivia smile. Walter didn't like change and after almost five years of working with the same team, she could understand that. This was her team. And a little part of her hated the idea of anyone else invading their space. There were allowances of course but those people were always short term. In the end, it was the four of them that solved the cases and got the results that the FBI so desperately craved.

"He clearly fails to comprehend that unless a woman has issues in her pregnancy, there is no need to change routine so completely. You are a perfect physical specimen and there is no need for you to go anywhere, let alone behind a desk!."

"Walter, Olivia's fine."

Walter shook his head at Peter.

"He upset my daughter-in-law, filling her head with ridiculous and unfounded ideas. Peter, you should be talking to him!"

Peter shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching, trying to contain the smile hidden there,

"Olivia already made herself clear. You need to calm down and focus."

Walter sighed angrily.

"Why should I? Perhaps if we don't work this murder, they will see what they would be without Olivia."

Peter smiled.

"Come on Dad, don't be like that. We will sort it out. But for now, Mrs Branson needs our help. Ok?"

Walter nodded slightly.

"Very well. But make it clear; I will not be working with anyone except Olivia."

"I know. Back to work old man."

Walter nodded and turned back to the table which contained Mrs Branson's remains. Astrid gave Walter a small pat on the back as they both bent over the corpse, getting to work. Peter took Olivia's hand.

"We need to talk."

She let him lead her into Walter's office, frowning as he closed the door.

"What's going on?"

Peter sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I know we've discussed it and you know that I will support you but Broyles had a good point."

Olivia stiffened.

"You think I belong behind a desk?"

"Liv, it's not that simple."

"Yes it is. I have two options and you want me to pick the one that will test my sanity."

"Sitting behind a desk doesn't mean you're not involved in the cases."

Olivia cocked her eyebrow.

"That is in fact that very definition of being behind a desk. Or in our case, stuck in the lab."

"You don't want to be stuck with Walter, I get that."

"That's not it. I like being involved in the cases. It's part of who I am. This isn't just a job to me Peter, you know that. Being an agent is as much a part of me as you are or as our child is. You can't just ask me to stop."

Olivia bit her lip as the tears started. Her heart pounded and she felt the flush in her cheeks again.

"I can't do that Peter. And you said I didn't have too. You said that as long as I was safe, I could keep working cases. Are you going to break your promise?"

Peter shook his head.

"Liv, I would never do that. I just want you and the baby to be safe."

"Well, in that case let me stay involved. I can't just stay home or in the office. I would go insane."

Peter pushed a lock of hair off her face, brushing off a few stray tears with his thumb. He smiled softly.

"You're already insane."

Olivia sniffed.

"Well, I did marry you. I guess that supports that theory."

Peter drew her into a hug, pulling her tight against him.

"I would never break a promise. And if you want to stay in the field, I will support that. But you made a promise to me too."

Olivia inhaled the familiar scent of him, letting it calm her nerves. The easy tears has already stopped and Peter's arms around her made her feel a little more composed.

"What promise?"

"The moment that it gets too much for you, or too dangerous, you are out. I don't care if I have hire someone to trail you all day everyday just to entertain you, you will be home or behind a desk."

"Ok."

"Good. However, I'm in two minds about it. I think Walter's head will explode if Broyles replaces you."

Olivia chuckled.

"Walter had gotten far worse since I got pregnant."

Peter pressed a kiss to the top of her head. They stood that way for a few minutes before returning to the lab and the mystery of Mrs Branson's dismembered body.

* * *

Olivia still felt on guard when being around the remains of Grafton. She couldn't help it. She was half expecting a hand to grab her arm. But he never moved again. The results of his blood work was clear. There was no reason for his sudden reanimation. Walter had even examined his brain but he hadn't found anything. For now, Grafton was a question mark but Olivia had enough to distract her. Once Walter had confirmed his theory that her torn throat was the reason for Mrs Branson's death, and that she had thankfully died before she was torn up and disembowelled, he focused on the edges of skin. He ran the DNA and cheerfully confirmed that the DNA was from her son, Jacob.

"Her son did this?"

Olivia flicked open the small file. Jacob Branson was a small man, dealing with the embarrassment of living with his mother in his thirties. He worked at a packing plant on the outskirts of the city. He had no record, not even a parking ticket. There was nothing to indicate that this violent behaviour was expected. Astrid glanced at the results again.

"According to this, the killer had familial DNA and she has no other children."

"He doesn't even have a parking ticket. How does he go from normal to tearing his mother to pieces?"

"I guess we will know that when we find him. Any luck so far?"

Olivia shook her head at Astrid's question.

"It's like he's fallen off the face of the planet. Which reminds me, Peter do you want to come with me? I want to see the crime scene again, see if we can find anything."

She knew he would agree, he would never let her go to the crime scene with the potential killer still on the loose. There was too much as stake now. Peter nodded before offering her coat and pulling on her own.

* * *

It was still thick with the smell of blood but this time, Olivia's stomach stayed steady. She wondered through the small house, going through the Branson's belongings but nothing stood out to her. Everything was completely innocent and benign. It just added to the sense of tragedy when Peter pointed out the small note on the fridge reminding Jacob to pick up some free range eggs on the way home from work. Nothing she could see indicated the anger that it would take for a son to slaughter his mother.

"Did you find anything?"

Olivia shook her head, sighing and leaning against the door way.

"Nothing."

Peter nodded, his eyes trailing the kitchen. She saw him frown before picking up a small, white box from the counter.

"What's that?"

Peter flipped the top before showing it to Olivia.

"Cigarettes."

Olivia moved closer, taking the packet from his hand.

"There's no label on it."

Peter frowned.

"Odd."

Olivia sniffed at them.

"They smell like normal cigarettes."

Peter placed the packet back on the counter with a sigh.

"So we have nothing. Looks like we need to find Jacob. If anything, he's still next of kin and deserves to know of his mother's death."

Olivia opened her moth to comment, closing it just as quickly when her phone rang. It was never a good sign. She sighed as she glanced at the screen before responding. She really didn't want to talk to him right now.

"Dunham."

"It's Broyles. We found our suspect. He's dead."

"How?"

"He killed two agents before anyone could react."

Olivia frowned.

"He killed two agents?"

"I'm afraid so. Nothing seemed to stop him. Until we shot him between the eyes."

Something clicked in Olivia's head, she just wasn't sure what it was. Her mind flashed to Grafton. She had shot him in the head too.

"I'll have the body sent over to the lab."

"Actually, I think we should come to the scene. What's the address?"

Olivia hung up after Broyles gave her the address, cutting him off could say anything else.. Peter frowned at her.

"What happened?"

"I'm starting to think that Grafton wasn't as isolated incident."

"Why?"

"Because they found Jacob Branson. And the only way they stopped him was a bullet to the brain."


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N - Hey folks. Thanks for all the great feedback. Another chapter bites the dust. Unlike my other stories, I am working on this one as I go...I have the ending sorted, it's just the bits in between that are driving me nuts!_

_So as always..._

_Read, enjoy and review!_

_:)_

Chapter Six – Swimming Up Stream

When they arrived at the scene, Olivia's eyes were drawn to the three sheets that covered the still, bloody forms. She left Peter with Broyles as she moved closer to them. The first one she came across was an agent, she could tell by the dense shine of his shoes as they poked out at the end of the sheet. She lifted the fabric, swallowing the sudden dryness from her throat. It was Agent Neil Tanson. Olivia had worked with him a few times over the years. He was a decent guy. And he had a family, which just made this whole mess so much worse. His throat had been ripped out, his face torn and Olivia looked further down, deep gashes over his chest. He looked like he had been attacked by a lion. She lowered the sheet and moved onto the next body, recognising what remained of the face of Jacob Branson. She pulled the sheet back completely, examining his hands. They were normal hands if you didn't count the fragments of flesh that still dangled in his nails. How did he manage to kill three people without as much as a scratch? She didn't know the other agent and lowered the sheet over his tattered corpse, with a glance around the rest of the scene. It was a blood bath, the copper thick in the air and inching down her throat. What had had caused this havoc? Four people dead for no reason at all.

"Liv? You ok? You've been staring at the ground for a while now."

Peter slipped up behind her, his voice soft. She shrugged.

"Sorry, I was thinking. What did Broyles say?"

"Not much to tell really. He was spotted and went the agents tried to stop him, he swung around and attacked them. It was over before anyone really knew what was going on."

"Who took him down?"

"A police officer who saw the attack."

"And he took more than one shot?"

Peter nodded.

"A warning shot and then one to the knee, the chest and finally to the head."

Olivia sighed, glancing at the sheet that covered Agent Tanson.

"Neil Tanson was a good man. He had a family."

"He knew the risks when he took the job, Liv."

Olivia stood, shaking her head hard.

"No one knew the risks when they take this job. If you had known, would you have taken it?"

Peter shrugged.

"I don't know."

Olivia glanced at the bodies again.

"I can tell you one thing, husband of mine."

Peter smiled slightly.

"What's that, wife of mine?"

"It isn't zombies."

Peter wasn't sure how to react to the measure of seriousness in Olivia's voice. All things considered, should he really be surprised if the dead start walking and eating the flesh of the living?

"It seems like anger right? I mean think about it. Each victim was torn apart."

Olivia was more talking to herself now.

"Not eaten just….ripped to shreds."

Peter frowned.

"Except Theodore Grafton."

Olivia nodded slightly.

"That's the end I cannot tie. He was dead and then came back to life. What the hell could cause that?"

* * *

Tailed by three new bodies, they headed back to the lab. Walter's eyes lit up when they swung the doors open, allowing the coroner to wheel them in one by one.

"What have you brought me?"

"Three more bodies, Walter."

"Cause of death?"

"Two were killed by Jacob Branson."

Walter frowned.

"How?"

"He tore out their throats."

Walter nodded slightly. Astrid moved ahead of him in quick movements, unzipping the body bags. Astrid pulled a face as she looked at each of them with Walter.

"How the hell did he do this?"

Walter was leaning over Jacob Branson's body.

"With his teeth. There are fragments of flesh in his teeth. Olivia, did you find anything at the scene?"

"Like what?"

"Bits of skin?"

Olivia shook her head.

"Not that I know of. But Broyles still has techs going over the scene so there could be. He'll send anything relevant over."

"Good. Astrip, we need to check out Jacob Branson's stomach contents before we do anything else."

"Ok Walter. Let me get the bowls."

Peter glanced at Walter, who was putting on some rubber gloves.

"Why?"

"Because I want to know what caused this. If he ate the flesh, it is a good starting point."

"Are you going to prove Olivia's zombie theory correct?"

Walter chuckled.

"There's no such thing as zombies."

Peter sighed and looked over at Olivia. She was pale again.

"Liv, are you ok?"

"Fine. Just feeling a little sick."

Walter nodded slightly, pulling off his gloves and walking briskly into his office. When he reappeared, he held a mug in his hand. He flicked the kettle, bouncing on his feet as he waited for it to boil. When it finally whistled, he carefully poured in hot water, examining the contents with a strange intensity. After a minute or two Peter smelt an odd scent. The only thing he could pinpoint was liquorice. Not the sweet kind that Walter liked but the strong black kind. Then with careful steps he moved over to Olivia, giving her a small smile.

"Sip this slowly."

Olivia looked inside the mug before glancing at Walter.

"What is it?"

"An herbal remedy for nausea. I won't run through the list of what's in there but it is safe and one hundred percent natural. It even contains folacin for my grandchild to have strong bones. If it works, I purchased an extra packet so you can have one for home and here."

Olivia smiled and took a tentative sip. It actually tasted quiet good. In her experience, herbal remedies rarely ever did.

"Thank you Walter."

Walter shook off the thanks, touching her stomach gently.

"You relax and focus on feeling better."

She sunk into her seat further and watched as Walter and Astrid first removed Jacob Branson's stomach and then the contents in studied silence.

"Are you sure it's safe to consume that?"

Peter frowned down at the mug. Olivia offered it to him.

"Try it."

He looked at the contents. He could see small petals and seeds sitting at the bottom, giving the brew a strong, dark colour. He sipped tentatively before handing it back to her, licking his lips.

"That tastes good."

"I know. And as Walter said, it one hundred percent natural. Do you really think your father would do anything to harm baby Bishop?"

Peter smiled.

"True. Did you want something to eat?"

Olivia took another couple of mouthfuls of the tea, the heat spreading pleasant warmth through her body. She was only half way through it but she felt better already.

"Actually, yes."

"What do you feel like?"

"Ice cream. With lemon curd."

Peter laughed.

"Ok, I meant actual food but if you want dessert, I can arrange that."

Olivia leaned forward and gave him a kiss. He tasted like the tea, herby and oddly sweet.

"And if you hurry, I won't have time to reconsider how disturbing it is that I want ice-cream while Walter is emptying out the stomach of a corpse."

Peter chuckled.

"Good idea. I better go see if the others want anything. Call me if you want anything else added to the list."

"Will do."

Olivia kept sipping her tea as Peter moved over to Walter and Astrid, and with the requests, headed back out the door.

"Find anything yet, Walter?"

Walter glanced at her.

"You feeling any better?"

"Yes. Your tea has worked wonders."

"Good. Come and see for yourself."

Olivia eased herself off the seat and mug in hand, moved over to Walter and Astrid. Astrid handed her the small silver bowl with damp, partially digested fragments lying at the bottom.

"What exactly am I looking at?"

Astrid smiled.

"That's it. Only a few pieces of flesh."

"Which means?"

"He didn't cannibalise his victims."

"Good."

Olivia glanced at the phone as it rang, frowning.

"Dunham."

"We have another victim."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N - I strongly dislike Valentine's Day. I'm not pulling the single and bitter card (my BF actually remembered all by himself) I just think it is silly to have one day to do it. You should tell the one your with 'I love you' everyday. So I have decided to post another chapter as a love letter to you guys..._

_Happy Valentine's Day Fringe...you know we love you_

_So read, enojy and review_

Chapter Seven – Monsters And Demons

When she arrived at the scene, she paused at the front door. Or what was left of it anyway. It had been torn off its hinges, tatters of wood on the ground. There was no torn up body, just a man in his mid-thirties with a bullet neatly between his eyes, laying in the living room. Broyles approached her with a frown.

"Brian Johnson. Going through a bitter divorce and a heavy custody battle. His wife put a restraining order out on him after he threatened to kidnap his daughter. He arrived at the house in a blind rage and his wife shot him."

Olivia shook her head.

"I don't understand why I'm here."

"Because Mrs Johnson said that she had never seen her husband like that. Apparently, he was mumbling to himself, his eyes were glazed and he seemed unstoppable. He tore two doors off their hinges. Does that sound normal?"

Olivia didn't want to admit it but Broyles was right. It sounded like it was all connected.

"Where is Mrs Johnson?"

"Outside with her daughter."

Olivia took one last glance at the body before moving back outside. Mrs Johnson was sitting in the ambulance, her face pale and still. On her lap was a little girl with tumbling brown hair, her thumb tucked securely in her mouth.

"Hello Mrs Johnson, I'm Agent Dunham. I have a few questions for you."

Mrs Johnson nodded, glancing at the house.

"I don't know what happened. He just tore open the door and came after us. I didn't mean to shoot him, I just….he wasn't Brian. He was a monster."

"Has he ever been like that before?"

"No. Never. He would never hurt Dylan. He came after us and he was going to hurt my little girl. I had to protect her. I had too."

She glanced down at the little girl in her arms, pulling her closer. Amazingly the little girl was asleep, completely unaware that her world had changed so dramatically. Olivia nodded slightly.

"I understand. Do you know if Brian did anything out of the normal recently?"

"Not that I know of. I hardly see him. We have a family lawyer that helps with the handovers with Dylan, so I see him briefly. And other than when we meet to iron out the divorce, I don't see him."

"Ok. Does he have a girlfriend by any chance?"

The question hurt, she could see it on Mrs Johnson's face but it had to be asked. She nodded slightly.

"Nicole Sartre. They live an apartment not far from here."

"Thank you Mrs Johnson. Please feel free to give me a call if you remember anything else."

She nodded and Olivia started walking back to the truck, her phone already in her hand.

"Astrid, its Olivia. I need you to check out something for me."

"Name it."

"Nicole Sartre. She's the girlfriend of our latest victim."

"Sure. You heading back to the lab?"

"Yeah on my way now."

"Ok see you soon."

* * *

When she arrived back at the lab, she sat down with a heavy sigh. Walter hadn't even processed the first body let alone adding another one to the list. But frankly, until they knew precisely what was going on, she would rather have the bodi es here in the lab. Peter offered a her small smile as well as a bowl of ice cream topped with a generous helping of the lemon curd. She had no idea why she loved it so much.

"How did it go?"

"He didn't hurt anyone at least. His ex-wife shot him before he could hurt her or his daughter."

"That's good news. We've seen the mess he could have made."

"I know. I need to check out his girlfriend once Astrid has the information. We need to find a connection with these people."

"I know. I'll come with you. But eat your ice cream first."

Olivia obediently took a mouthful, the delicious tang and sweetness making her smile.

"It's not vanilla ice cream."

"Nope. I found one called Lemon Blitz. Thought you might like that."

Olivia offered him a spoonful.

"Want to try?"

Peter took it, pulling a face.

"How can you eat that? It's like sucking a lemon!"

Olivia shrugged taking another mouthful.

"I have no idea."

Peter took a swig of coffee to try and chase the flavour, which made Olivia smile again She was starting to scrape the bottom of the bowl when Astrid approached her, a piece of paper in her hand.

"There isn't much there. But I have an address."

Olivia wiped her mouth, taking the paper.

"Good enough for me. Thanks Astrid."

Peter was close at her heels as she tugged on her jacket and headed out the lab.

When Nicole Sartre opened the door, Olivia wondered who had told her the news. She had clearly been crying, her pale skin flushed, her eyes red, emphasising the black eye that dominated half of her face. She sniffed as she looked them up and down.

"Yes?"

"Miss Sartre?"

"Yes. How can I help you?"

"I'm Agent Olivia Dunham and this is Peter Bishop We have a few questions about Brian."

Nicole nodded slightly.

"Ok. Justine called me. I'm not sure why but she did. She told me what happened. I still can't believe it."

Nicole took a step back and Peter and Olivia slipped into the ultra-modern apartment. They followed Nicole into the living room, sparse and neat, nothing to indicate that it was lived in. Nicole caught the glance that Olivia exchanged with Peter.

"Brian was a minimalist. What did you want to know?"

"Was he acting out of sorts lately?"

Nicole stiffened and her fingers brushed against the bruising of her eye. Peter's voice was soft when he spoke.

"Did Brian do that to you?"

Nicole swallowed.

"He didn't mean it."

"What happened?"

Nicole sighed, sniffing slightly.

"He just lost his temper."

"Has he ever done that before?"

"No. Never. He knows…"

Nicole shook her head, the sentence hanging in the air. Olivia prompted the young woman again.

"He knows what?"

Nicole looked up, studying Olivia.

"He knew what happened to me. My last boyfriend used me as a punching bag. Brian knew that. He would never hurt me."

"What has his behaviour like?"

Nicole shrugged slightly.

"He was working hard and he was stressed. He kept doing odd things."

"Like what?"

"Forgetting where he was going. He would just stand in the middle of the kitchen staring into space. And when I asked him what he was doing he would look confused, claiming he had forgotten what he was even there for. He would shake too and had trouble sleeping. I just thought it was the job that was doing it to him. Then one night he came home and all I said was hello. That was it. And he flew into a rage. He punched me and then kind of clicked into what he was doing, taking a step back. He acted as surprised and he apologized but I packed a bag and went to visit my parents. I came back the next day."

The story came out in a rush, Nicole tripping over her words as she started to cry. Olivia felt bad for the young woman. And for Brian Johnson. Every indication that they had of the man was that he would never hurt anyone. And Olivia didn't want Nicole's last memory of the man she had loved to be a violent one.

"Nicole, Brian wasn't himself when he hit you. You know that right?"

Nicole nodded slightly.

"I know. The man I knew would never raise a hand to me."

Olivia offered her a soft smile.

"Exactly. Nicole, do you mind if we have a look around at some of Brian's things?"

"Sure. Your best bet would be his office. Other than our bedroom, that is where he spent most of his time."

Nicole stood with a slight sigh and led them up a large flight of stairs, turning to the left and heading down a short hallway. Nicole paused at the door, her hand on the shiny knob, hesitating.

"I hate doing this. Brian hated me coming in here."

Nicole pushed the door open, taking a step back and letting the, in. She didn't follow them into the wide room. Olivia would love an office like this. All wide windows that had fantastic city views, a beautiful oak desk and a soft leather chair tucked behind it. Peter set to work right away, digging around in the drawers. Olivia was flicking through the filing cabinet when Peter let out a low whistle.

"Liv."

She turned to see him holding up a small box. The unmarked cigarettes again.

"That's two packets. It's not a coincidence."

"I think we found our link."

"Is there more than one packet?"

Olivia moved closer as Peter continued rifling through the drawer, pulling out another four unmarked packets. Olivia turned on her heel and headed down the stairs again to find Nicole. She was back in the living room curled on the seat.

"Nicole."

Nicole twisted in the seat to face her.

"Did you need something?"

Olivia held up one of the cigarettes packets.

"How long has he been smoking these?"

"About a week. He's part of a trial."

"What kind of trial?"

Nicole shrugged.

"I'm not sure. He does these kind of trials all the time. Most are for brands, you know, trying new cigarettes. But this one was different."

"How so?"

"He told me that it came with really specific instructions. He had to smoke a certain amount every day. For him it was difficult because he's a naturally heavy smoker. He snuck smokes all the time."

"Do you know who it was with?"

Nicole shook her head.

"He's done so many it is hard to keep track. But I know he had to go and have a physical."

Olivia nodded and examined the packet of smokes.

"How long has Brian been smoking?"

"Since he was fifteen."

Olivia offered Nicole a small smile before heading back upstairs to Peter.

"According to Nicole, Brian was part of a smoking trial"

"That explains the plain packaging, blind testing."

"Yeah, I guess. We need to back track these things to Grafton."

"Grafton?"

Olivia frowned.

"I think he's got something to do with all of this."


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N - Here you go folks!_

_Read, enjoy and review_

_:)_

Chapter Eight – Somebody Told Me

Olivia sighed and glanced at the alarm clock. Peter was sleeping peacefully, his arm thrown across her waist, his hand resting on her stomach. It was pitch black outside and the world seemed to have gone to sleep as well. Everyone except Olivia and baby Bishop, who was clearly feeling as restless as Mommy. She had found it more and more impossible to get comfortable as the pregnancy Olivia gently extracted herself from Peter's embrace and slipped from the room. She headed downstairs and flicked the kettle, pulling out the box of tea from the cupboard the Walter had given her. She didn't feel sick but the tea itself had a soothing effect. She carefully measured out the tea into the mug and when the kettle was done, poured the hot water in. She smiled as the tiny flowers opened in the heat and the tea turned darker as she allowed it to stew. She turned off the kitchen light, and as she always did, headed into the nursery. She flicked on the small lamp on the corner table and sat back in the rocking chair. When they had first gotten the house, they had a very long discussion as to what to do with the nursery. Neither of them wanted to know the sex of baby Bishop and so decorated the room in warm, unisex colours. Lime greens and yellows, reds and sky blues, all broken up with family pictures and animated characters on the walls. Baby Bishop had a large book collection already, mostly supplied by Walter and it dominated an entire wall. The stuffed toy collection was becoming a force to be reckoned with and Olivia would love to say she was completely innocent of guilt but she had a hard time resisting if they were in a store and she saw a toy. Peter teased her but he was just as guilty as she was. She stuck with toy stores but Peter would go and get gas and come back with a few more to add to the collection.

"Are you ok?"

Peter stood in the door way, the creases from the pillow still imprinted on his cheek.

"I'm fine. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I told you, I don't mind. I could keep you company."

Olivia smiled.

"I'm fine. Go back to bed."

Peter shrugged.

"I'm up now."

"Peter, don't be silly, you need the rest. One of us should get some sleep."

"You're the one growing a person, not me."

Olivia extracted herself from the rocking chair and put her arms around Peter's waist, pulling him close, a task that was getting more and more difficult with the baby growing so quickly. He still smelt like sleep and soap from the shower he had taken when they had gotten home. He sighed against the skin of her neck.

"You really do need to rest."

"It's hard to get comfortable."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Olivia smiled.

"I wish."

"Come back to bed and finish your tea."

He flicked off the light and took her hand, leading her back into their bedroom. Olivia felt tired even though her body, her brain, and heck her baby simply would not shut down. And after a day like today, she didn't blame her mind for still moving. After finding those smokes, they had gone back to the lab and talked to Astrid, needing to find what trials were being run at the moment to do with smoking. Astrid had to do some digging and Peter had suggested they come home so she could get some rest. She didn't argue. Her body was doing that horrible, achy thing again. She climbed into bed, letting Peter rearrange her pillows behind her back. She sat back with a sigh and sipped her tea.

"So, since you can't sleep, want to go over the case?"

Olivia offered Peter a sly smile.

"You know me too well."

Peter pulls the files off the table beside the bed, where he was reading them before he had gone to sleep.

"So we have yet to find the link with Grafton."

Olivia sipped her tea.

"Could it be the trial itself? He was pretty high up in the professor chain right?"

"True."

Olivia sighed and moved closer to Peter, reading the file over his shoulder.

"But what does smoking have to do with anything? We have three victims that are connected with this habit and the cigarettes of course."

"We need to find out what those cigarettes were part of."

"Agreed."

They talked for a little longer and then Olivia' eyes got too heavy, her mouth having trouble forming words. He closed her eyes one last time and pressed closer to Peter, who flicked out the light before putting his arms around her.

* * *

When she woke in the morning, it wasn't to the normal wave of nausea. Walter's tea seemed to do the trick in advance as well. She laid in bed for a while longer, watching as Peter slept. When he finally did wake up, he seemed to be surprised to find her by his side.

"Are you feeling better?"

Olivia nodded.

"In fact, I am actually looking forward to the lab today."

"After breakfast."

"We could get it on the way. I now where we can go."

"Let me guess, they serve something with lemon?"

She didn't answer, just flashed him a grin as she climbed out of bed.

* * *

When they arrived back at the lab, they didn't have much time to lay out breakfast before Astrid ushered them over. Olivia noted how tired she looked, feeling guilty, knowing that in all likelihood Astrid never went home.

"I found something."

"What?"

"Grafton signed off on the experiment a couple of months ago."

"And who did he sign it off to?"

"Duncan Freelancer."

Peter frowned.

"The zombie doctor?"

"Yes. When he was told that he hadn't developed his medication enough, he decided to branch out into another area of research until it was complete. He wanted to see the effect on the brain that smoking caused."

Peter crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Olivia.

"Well, there's your link, Liv."

Astrid shook her head.

"It's not good news."

"Why?"

"Because if Freelancer is behind this then it's going to get worse. He signed two hundred people to the smoking trial."

Peter released a huff of air.

"That's a lot of zombies."

* * *

After a quick discussion, they headed to the tiny research centre that Dr Freelancer did his research. When they arrived, there was a small, pretty young woman standing out front, sucking hard on a cigarette. Since the re-animation of the last couple of corpses, Olivia had a renewed hatred for the habit. And surely someone who worked at a centre that was researching the damage of cigarettes would not want to still inhale them. They slipped from the truck and approached the girl, wondering if this was one of the small team that worked with Freelancer.

"Hi, I'm Agent Dunham. What was your name?"

The girl narrowed her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because we need to ask you a few questions."

"About what?"

"Dr Freelancer."

The girl's back straightened.

"Did you find him?"

"Not yet. But we have a few questions about his research."

The girl sighed before dragging deeply on her cigarette. When she released the smoke, it hung in the air between them.

"Felicity Shaw. I'm the number one around here now that Duncan isn't around. What do you need to know?"

"What happened to the rats?"

Olivia saw the flicker of something she couldn't read move over Felicity's face.

"That was something unfortunate but Duncan was going to move past it. He just needed more time."

"What was this smoking research about?"

Felicity sighed.

"The brain and smoking, or to be more precise, the damage it causes."

Both Peter and Olivia glanced at the smoke and Felicity offered them a small smile.

"I know. What can I say, I'm a rather large contradiction."

She took one last drag on the cigarette before dropping it to the ground and stomping it out with her boot.

"Follow me. I'll show you what I can."


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N - Hey guys. I'm currently using this story to destract me from the fact that my wisdom teeth have decided to make a dramatic entrance. Just on the left side of my mouth. It's horrible._

_So read, enjoy and review_

_:)_

Chapter Nine – Everybody Out Of The Water

The only other person in the centre was a young man. He glanced up, his eyes huge behind large glasses, before returning to his paper work.

"Ignore him. That's just Dexter."

They followed her into a small, cluttered office. Felicity pulled over her laptop, pointing it towards them. She hit a couple of keys and a small piece of footage popped up. Two small rats were in a cage. Olivia knew what was going to happen and she made sure she lowered her eyes at the precise moment of drama. She could almost hear Peter frown beside her. Thankfully there was no sound. She didn't think she could tolerate it. At worse, she would vomit. At best she would cry. Neither reaction appealed. She heard a few more buttons as Peter flicked off the screen.

"So the rat got the serum, went ballistic and killed its cage mate?"

Felicity nodded, leaning against the narrow desk.

"The only reason that anyone else heard about it was because Duncan had all the journalists here to watch it. He was confident that it would work."

Felicity sighed and rummaged through the mess of documents on her desk, pulling one out from the bottom of the pile.

"Here's the information."

Olivia flicked through the file. As Felicity said, the whole concept of the experiment was to see he effect of smoking on the human brain. Peter read over her shoulder for a moment before turning his attention back to Felicity.

"We need to see Freelancer's office."

Felicity frowned.

"I don't know."

"We could get a warrant but that will close down the entire operation."

Fine. Follow me."

They followed Felicity to the other side of the lab and into another small office. This one was far less cluttered and Olivia knew that someone had been in there recently cleaning, the smell of the cleaning products still hung in the air.

"Who cleaned up in here?"

Felicity smirked.

"I did. He hates mess."

Olivia couldn't believe that she had missed it. It was as obvious as the bulge of her belly. She studied Felicity for a moment.

"How long were you too involved?"

Felicity shook her head.

"It wasn't like that.'

"What was it like?"

"We had a connection."

Olivia frowned.

"Who knew about it?"

"No one."

Clearly the connection wasn't enough to actually make some sort of commitment. Olivia got the feeling that maybe Freelancer had taken advantage of the young, enamoured girl. Peter seemed confused by the whole exchange.

"How long were you involved?"

"Six months or so. Since I started working for him. He was going to leave his wife for me."

Olivia wondered how many times that line had been used, how many young interns had fallen for the very same words. She merely nodded as Felicity crossed her arms defensively.

"Do you know what was in the cigarettes?"

"Tobacco. What else would there be?"

Olivia ignored the question, sitting behind Freelancer's desk and starting to rummage through his drawers. The likelihood of finding anything was fairly low considering she doubted that he would be dumb enough to just leave the evidence lying around. What she did find was a few more packets of the unmarked cigarettes. She glanced at Felicity, remembering the cigarette that had been dangling between her fingers when they had first arrived.

"Have you been smoking these Felicity?"

Felicity pulled a face.

"No. I only like one brand and you never know with those ones. He had about eight different brands for this experiment."

"What about Dexter?"

Felicity snorted.

"Dexter? No way. He's a health freak. His idea of a good time is breaking out shots of wheatgrass."

"Well, we still need to talk to him."

"Fine."

Felicity moved from the room and seconds later, Dexter reappeared with her. He pushed his glasses back up his nose, looking at them suspiciously.

"Miss Shaw said that you wished to speak to me? Do you have ID?"

Both Peter and Olivia showed their ID's and Dexter nodded slightly.

"Fine. What did you wish to ask me?"

"The experiment that Freelancer was preforming in this lab."

"Miss Shaw would have already told you. We were seeing what adverse effects toxins from cigarettes had on the human brain."

"Ok. And the serum that failed?"

Dexter's face pulled into an angry frown.

"That was not Dr Freelancer's fault."

"He's the head scientist here."

Dexter huffed but remained silent after Olivia's statement. Felicity's phone let out a cheerful bellow and she ducked out of the room. Olivia turned her attention back to Dexter.

"Did Dr Freelancer tell you anything about the serum?"

She could see Peter move out of the corner of her eye. He moved closer to the door, his face pulled into a frown.

"The serum would have been perfect. We would have been in every scientific journal in the world.

"So what went wrong?"

"We were in the process figuring that out before he went missing. Most of the research he did alone and only he has the information. So perhaps you are wasting your time here and should focus on finding Dr Freelancer. If we are done here, I have paperwork that I need to process."

Without waiting for Olivia's reply, Dexter stomped from the room. Peter had managed to slip out of the room too without her noticing. She kept going through the drawers, finding a total of seven packs and putting them all on the desk. When Peter showed up again, he was still frowning.

"I overheard Felicity's conversation."

"Was it Freelancer?"

"I have no idea. Hard to tell."

Peter glanced down at her neatly stacked plain boxes.

"How many did you find?"

"Ten in total. We need Walter to dissect these things and find out if there is something odd in them. We also need to find Freelancer."

Peter nodded and they left the research centre. Felicity was at the front of the building again, breathing deeply on another cigarette.

"I take back what I said a couple of days ago."

Peter swung out of the parking lot and into the traffic.

"What?"

"I don't respect Freelancer anymore."

"Why?"

"Did you see how Felicity was when we were talking about Freelancer? She is completely infatuated."

Peter smiled slightly.

"She's old enough to look after herself, Liv."

"Still, it's sad."

Quite of their own accord, her eyes filled with tears before falling silently down her cheeks. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeves. Peter glanced at her with a slight smile.

"Are you crying?"

"Shut up."

"It's fine Liv."

He was trying to comfort her but they both knew that it was pointless. She just felt plain sad about the whole situation. And she hated her body for betraying her. Peter squeezed her knee. When they got back to the lab, Olivia frowned. Walter and Astrid were sitting out front and Walter was smoking. She climbed out of the truck before approaching them with a frown.

"Walter, why are you smoking?"

Astrid frowned deeply at the approaching pair.

"I tried to stop him. He snuck out."

Olivia felt confused for a moment until she saw the unmarked cigarette package beside him. It was the packet they had found at Jacob Branson's.

"Walter, what have you done?"

Walter smiled at her and took another drag of the cigarette. Peter moved faster than her, his hand moving to flick the cigarette from this father's fingers. Walter seemed surprised by the action.

"Son, what is wrong with you?"

Olivia showed him the bag of unmarked cigarettes.

"All we have are these to connect the victims. You know, the ones who tear other people apart?"

Walter frowned.

"I need to see what the cause of all this was."

Olivia thrust the bag at him.

"Cut these up and see what you find. We need to check out Freelancer's home."

Walter took the bag with a slight nod and made his way back into the building. Astrid sighed, rubbing her neck. Olivia glanced at the scratches, which had become read and slightly swollen.

"Astrid?"

Astrid frowned.

"Yeah I know, sorry. I don't know how-"

"How do you feel?"

Astrid seemed confused.

"About what?"

"Your neck. It's swollen."

Astrid's eyes widen and her fingers searched her neck. Peter gently moved her hand aside and examined the scratches himself.

"Liv's right, Astrid. Come on, we'll clean them out."

Astrid looked scared as Peter took her arm, leading her back into the building. Olivia's mind was on overdrive. They barely knew anything about the cases they already had. Who knew if this issue could be transferred. She watched as Peter got the first aid kit and started cleaning the scratches.

"What's wrong with Astro?"

Walter had laid out the packets of cigarettes neatly, taking one from each packet.

"The scratches she got the other day are infected."

"What does that mean?"

Peter must have made a joke, there was a small smile on Astrid's face.

"I don't know Walter. I really don't know."


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N - The events that happen in this chapter happened to my sister...we came very close to losing both her and the baby..._

_So read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Ten – Nothing I Can Say

There was nothing they could do. Leaving Astrid with strict instructions to contact them if anything changed, Peter dragged her home. And Olivia didn't protest. She was tired again, could feel it in the ache of her bones. They had dinner and after a quick shower, Olivia climbed between the cool sheets and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Olivia jolted awake, it was pitch black outside, Peter sleeping peacefully beside her. The times when she could sleep, she was riddled with odd dreams and this one was no different. She was in a dark place and she could hear a baby crying. She couldn't see a thing but she knew that it was her baby. She kept running, trying to get closer to the sound but it slipped further and further away. It scared her. She knew that it was her minds way of dealing with up-coming motherhood but it didn't stop her heart from pounding painfully in her chest. She pushed back the blankets, her foot catching on an odd patch of dampness. She frowned in the darkness. She wasn't sweaty, why was there a damp patch on the sheets? She glanced at Peter's still form before flicking on the light beside her bed. What she saw made vomit clutch at her throat and her hand touch her stomach. There was blood on the sheets. She looked down at her bare legs. There was blood there too and her shorts were now dark with it. She wanted to scream, to cry to fall to the ground and pray that this wasn't happening but she couldn't. She just kept staring at the blood. Eventually, her fear released its grip on her mind and she leaned over, shaking Peter hard.

"Peter, wake up."

Peter mumbled before turning over, opening one eye.

"You ok?"

She shook her head and pointed at the blood, the tears falling silently.

* * *

It was the longest ride of her life. Peter all but lifted her from the truck and into a wheelchair, half running into the emergency room. Within minutes she was in a small cubicle the doctor firing questions at her in rapid succession while the nurse prepped her for the scan.

"Any pain?"

"No."

"Any spotting before this?"

"No."

"And when was your last scan?"

"Two days ago."

"Any severe stress?"

Olivia would have laughed if she could.

"Somewhat, yes."

The doctor nodded and flicked on the monitor. Olivia kept her eyes closed, Peter's hand clutched in hers. It wasn't until she heard that rapid, steady heartbeat was hidden just behind her own that she opened her eyes and allowed herself to look. There sat their child on the screen, shifting and moving, just as restless as it had been every other evening.

"Ok Mrs Bishop, the baby's heartbeat is strong. I can't see any sign of distress."

"So the blood came from where?"

"It occurs sometimes in pregnant woman. It could have been excess lining or simply a slight tear in the placenta. Or, in preparation for delivery the cervix begins to thin out and relax, the thick plug of mucus that seals the opening of the cervix is dislodged. It hard to tell but I will do a quick pelvic examination to be sure that you won't be delivering this little one early."

He flicked off the monitor and glanced at Peter.

"Did you wish to stay in the room, Mr Bishop?"

Olivia tightened her grip on his hand.

"He's staying."

She was so scared. He needed to stay. He kept her calm and thinking straight. The nurse helped her strip off when the doctor politely ducked out of the room, giving her a few moments of privacy that on any other day would have made Olivia laugh. He was about to give her a pelvic examine but felt the need to leave the room when she took off her shorts. Odd. When he returned, Olivia tried to relax, keeping her eyes on Peter. After a few minutes of the invasive procedure, the doctor stepped back and slipped off his latex gloves.

"Everything looks fine Mrs Bishop. But I strongly urge that you take it easy for the next forty-eight hours."

Olivia frowned.

"I'm an FBI agent and we are in the middle of a case."

The doctor nodded.

"I understand that but you need to remember that it's not just you who feels the stress. It all travels to the baby as well. After forty-eight hours, you will need to come back in and I will do another examination to insure that you are still in the safe zone. Until then, strict bed rest."

He turned to Peter.

"Do you have stairs in your home?"

"Yes."

"Ok. What I would suggest is settling her where everything is in easy reach so she is not up and down the stairs. The only time she should get out of bed is for the bathroom or in the event of an emergency. And absolutely no sexual activity until you are in the clear."

Peter nodded and the doctor flicked Olivia a warm smile.

"Just take it easy and you will be fine. Your baby is strong and healthy. Let's keep it that way. I'll get your discharge forms sorted and some medication that will help you sleep."

"Thank you."

When the doctor left, Olivia felt like she could breathe for the first time since she had woken up. She started to cry, the shock and the fear becoming too much to hold in. Her chest felt like it was going to burst. Peter stroked her hair and made soothing noises but she could feel his tears mingling with her own. He had been just as scared as she was. She could feel it in the tremble in his hands.

"It's ok Liv. Baby Bishop is fine."

"I know, I just…."

Her sentence trailed off in another wave of sobs. Eventually she calmed down enough to get dressed again. She hadn't realised that Peter had thought to bring her coat, which was enough to keep her warm until they got home. She signed the discharge forms and they made their way back to the truck. When they got home she made her way upstairs. She started to strip off the sheets, already forgetting the doctor's strict instructions.

"Liv, stop."

Peter caught her hands in his.

"You need to rest, remember? Go have a shower and clean off, I can handle this."

Olivia wondered into the bathroom, offering Peter a small smile when he handed her a fresh change of pyjamas. She turned the shower on nice and hot and washed the blood off her legs. It was strange. She hadn't felt any pain and now that the panic had passed, she didn't' feel tender or achy. She just felt tired. She was just about to turn off the shower when she heard a series of thumps and curses. What the hell was Peter doing out there? She got her answer as she stepped back into her bedroom. Peter had managed to move the television and DVD player into their room. She pulled back the clean sheets and slipped between them, sighing at the clean smell. Peter offered her a wide smile.

"You won't want for anything by the time I am done."

Olivia nodded slightly.

"All you need to do is give a spare key to our favourite takeaway places and I will be set."

Peter paused as if seriously considering the idea which made Olivia chuckle.

"I was kidding."

Peter shrugged.

"All things considered, not a bad idea. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

Olivia shook her head as her eyes got heavy.

"No. I just want to sleep. Are you coming to bed?"

"No. I'm wide awake. You get some sleep. I have a few more things to do to make sure you are fine while I am away at work."

Olivia would have answered but Peter's voice was drifting further and further away as she left sleep take her.

When Peter gently shook her awake, the first thing she did was slip a hand beneath the covers. But the sheets were completely dry. The next thing was to frown at what Peter had done to their room while she had been asleep. Literally everything she could possibly want was now jammed into their room. There was even a small fridge where her bedside table used to be, the TV remotes, her lamp and a few books stacked neatly on it.

"Peter?"

"Yes?"

"What did you do to our room?"

He smiled slightly.

"Made sure you had everything you needed."

"I am fully capable-"

"No Liv. I heard what the doctor said. You are not leaving this bed except to go to the bathroom or if there is an emergency. I would have gotten you a bedpan if I didn't think you would beat me to death with it."

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you."

"Anytime. Now the kettle and everything is all within your reach. The fridge has all the things you have been craving lately as well as a new tub of the Lemon Blitz ice cream I found. And I am a phone call away if you need me. Ok?"

She nodded, completely overwhelmed by what he had done. Though she knew that she should not be surprised, he would go to the ends of the earth for her and the baby, she never doubted that. But his actions still touched her. And even though their bedroom now looked like a three way morphing of the kitchen, living room and bedroom, it still made her smile. And as she took a closer look around her, she realised he hadn't been joking when he said that nothing was out of her reach. She barely had to move to get everything that she needed. Peter stood and flicked on the TV before turning to her.

"Right, what do you want for breakfast?"

"There's still stuff in the kitchen?"

He nodded.

"Of course. Pancakes?"

She smiled.

"With lemon curd."

"But of course."

Olivia sighed and adjusted herself in the bed. She wondered how long it would take before this drove her crazy. Perhaps she will make it through the two days with no effort. She was only half watching the news when Peter came back into the room, a thick stack of pancakes on two plates. He balanced them carefully as he got onto the bed, handing a her one plate.

"I put lemon curd on the pancakes as they came out of the pan."

"Yum."

She dug in, demolishing them quickly and without mercy. She was starving. When she was finished she licked her lips and flicked on the kettle.

"I think I thought of something that you forgot."

"Doubt it."

She smiled at him.

"How am I meant to refill the kettle?"

"There's a bottle of water in the fridge."

Peter offered her a wide grin.

"Anything else?"


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N - Hey guys...I decided to post this after finding out that my little darling niece just giggled for the first time. Not even three month old and she can hold her own head up, smile and giggle and hold her own bottle. Proud Aunty moment!_

Chapter Eleven – The Concept Of Reality

Peter had a hard time leaving the house. Olivia kept giving him a list of tasks, including what their next step was going to be. Extracting a promise from her to text or call every hour to give him an update, he finally managed to leave. He didn't like it one bit. He would rather stay with her but Olivia would have been deeply annoyed by him turning babysitter. She had everything that she needed. He wondered how he would break the news to Walter without sending him into a full blown panic attack. Walter had always held affection for Olivia but since the announcement of the pregnancy and their wedding, Walter openly adored her. She could do no wrong in his eyes. Peter made a detour before heading to the lab. He needed to talk to Broyles. When he arrived at the headquarters, he flicked a quick smile to Cathy, one of the regular receptionists, who let him through without question. He knocked on Broyles door before entering.

"Morning Bishop."

"Morning."

"It's odd seeing you here. What's wrong?"

Peter frowned and took a seat across from Olivia's boss.

"I am here to ask you to not call Olivia for the next two days."

Broyles cocked his head slightly.

"And why is that?"

"She's been put on strict bed rest for the next two days."

"What happened?"

"We thought she had lost the baby."

Broyles swallowed.

"Are they both ok?"

"Thankfully, yes."

Broyles nodded before sighing.

"This is what we were concerned about."

Peter stood, putting his hands in his pockets.

"She's fine. It has nothing to do with the job."

"What did the doctor say?"

Peter remained silent, confirming what Broyles was saying.

"Peter, you need to talk-"

Peter held up his hand.

"You need to stop that. I am supporting Olivia in this, she'll know when it is time to stop and stay home."

"This is a pretty good sign."

Peter sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I can't force her into this. You should know better than anyone that forcing her into anything is not a good move."

Broyles nodded.

"I know. But this job isn't the best with a baby on board."

"The doctor is checking her again in forty-eight hours. We'll talk again after that."

He turned to leave but paused when Broyles started speaking again.

"I care for her too you know. I am just concerned for her and the baby."

Peter turned back to Broyles.

"I know. But I am her husband and I am not going to make her unhappy when I don't have too. She'll make the right choice. She always does."

Broyles offered him a nod and Peter left, heading back to the truck.

* * *

When he got to the lab, Walter frowned when he realised that his son was alone.

"Where is Olivia?"

Peter sighed.

"She woke up last night and found blood in the bed."

He saw the moment that both Walter and Astrid understood what that meant. They opened their mouths to question him but he bet them too it.

"She's fine. So is the baby. She just needs to rest for a couple of days."

Walter nodded slightly.

"Ok."

"Walter, she's fine. Really."

Walter nodded again, playing with the scalpel.

"Very well."

Peter moved closer, pulling up the home phone number before handing it to Walter.

"Give her a call if you don't believe me."

Walter snatched the phone from him, hitting the call button before wondering into his office. Astrid offered Peter a small smile.

"He's going to worry for the next two days, you know that right?"

"He won't be alone."

Peter sighed, sliding into a seat across from Astrid.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

Peter watched her closely as she moved around the lab. There was something off in the way she moved. When she was close to him again, he looked at her neck, the scratches still red and swollen.

"It should have gone down by now."

Astrid shook her head.

"I'm fine. We took apart those cigarettes."

"Did you find anything?"

"Walter seems to think that there is something added to them but he's not sure what. He wants to run a few more tests."

Walter came out of his office, his smile tight.

"She's fine."

"I told you."

"Yes but you could have lied to protect me. Olivia would not lie."

Peter offered him a smile.

"True. How was she?"

"Watching the news."

Walter moved back to his work.

"So son, did Astrid tell you what we found?"

"That there is something in the cigarettes."

Walter nodded.

"But it might help if I had a live sample from someone who is infected."

Peter glanced Astrid.

"You could take a sample from Astrid."

Astrid frowned.

"No."

Her voice was hard, her face angry and everything about it was out of character. It only lasted a second but it was long enough to confirm their fears. Astrid was infected. Whatever was making its way through her system was working slowly enough for her to not be turned into a monster but fast enough to already change her behaviour. Walter glanced at Peter before turning back to Astrid, his voice soft.

"Astro, something isn't right here. I would like to take a blood sample."

Astrid sighed.

"Fine. But nothing is wrong."

Her voice shook as she took a seat and yanked up her sleeve.

"Peter, would you mind?"

Peter moved, getting everything he needed before he wiped down Astrid's inner arm with alcohol. He gently inserted the needle and extracted the blood, watching her face. She was pale, Peter could see it now. She seemed dazed.

"Astrid, we'll fix this. I promise."

She nodded, pressing a small piece of gauze against the needle entry. He handed Walter the blood before glancing at the scratches again.

"Have they been itchy?"

"No."

Pete sighed.

"I need to check out Freelancer's home. Are you going to be ok?"

Astrid gave him a tight smile.

"Of course."

"Call me if anything changes."

Astrid nodded and Peter moved out of the lab, his stomach feeling hollow. They need to fix this before Astrid became one of the monsters that had turned the city upside down.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve – All Of Me Is Now Gone

It felt odd being at the Freelancer home alone. Not unsafe just a little strange. He was used to having Olivia for company. He knocked and waited. When the door opened, it took Peter a second to realize that a small, blonde boy was staring at him.

"Hello. I'm Peter Bishop. Is your Mommy home?"

The little boy nodded, turning and yelling at the top of his lungs.

"MOMMY! IT'S FOR YOU!"

The little boy turned back to Peter, measuring him with dark eyes.

"Is this about Daddy?"

"We are looking for him, yes."

The little boy nodded.

"He ran off with the slut."

The words sounded barbaric coming from a child. Peter knew he would just be repeating what his mother had said but still. Peter was still trying to figure out a way to respond when Mrs Freelancer appeared, a small woman with grey streaked hair.

"Benji! I've told you not say the bad words."

"But Mommy-"

"Go play with your toys."

Benji sighed and with one last look at Peter, moved away from the door.

"Hello. How can I help you?"

"Hi Mrs Freelancer I'm Peter Bishop, I work with the FBI."

Mrs Freelancer nodded slightly.

"Did you find him?"

"No. We are still looking but his research has come under question."

Mrs Freelancer glanced behind the door, frowning slightly.

"Please come in Mr Bishop. And ignore my son, Benji. He is too curious for his own good. Takes after his father that way."

Peter moved into the house, noticing that Benji was behind the front door, his eyes following Peter when it was closed. He took a seat and finally turned his attention back to Mrs Freelancer.

"Mrs Freelancer, did your husband ever talk to you about his research?"

Mrs Freelancer scoffed.

"No, of course not. He was barely here."

She glanced up and Peter realized that Benji had moved closer, his hands behind his back, giving off a completely innocent air. Peter offered him a small smile before turning back to the little boy's mother.

"Has he been acting strange when he was home?"

Mrs Freelancer sighed, twisting her wedding ring.

"When he was here, he wasn't really here. I cannot remember the last time we spent time together as a family. No hold on, it was four years ago. Duncan's father died. It was the funeral when we were last together. After that, my husband slipped away from me."

A loud beeping drew Mrs Freelancer's attention and she offered Peter a small smile.

"Please excuse me. I was just doing th laundry when you arrived."

She slipped from the room and Peter turned back to Benji.

"How old are you?"

Benji held up his hand, fingers spread wide.

"Five? Do you go to school?"

Benji nodded.

"Do you like it?"

Another nod, his face serious.

"What is your favourite thing to do at school?"

"Drawing."

Peter smiled.

"That used to be my favourite thing too."

Peter leaned over in his seat slightly.

"Benji, did your Daddy ever tell you anything about his research?"

Benji moved closer, taking his mother's seat.

"He said it was important."

"Did he tell you what he did?"

"No. He said it was a secret."

Peter frowned. He was about to ask more but Mrs Freelancer came back into the room. She lifted Benji up easily, settling the little boy on her lap.

"Mr Bishop, do you have any children?"

Peter thought of Olivia, holed up in their room, alone and properly bored out of her mind by now.

"My wife is pregnant."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Mrs Freelancer kissed the top of Benji's head, a small smile on her face.

"They are a joy. A challenge but a joy nonetheless. Benji here keeps me on my toes, don't you little man?"

Benji shrugged, toying with the end of the tablecloth.

"So, are you any closer to finding my husband?"

"Somewhat. We talked to Felicity Shaw and she confirmed that he was doing some suspect trials with cigarettes."

Mrs Freelancer frowned, glancing down at her son.

"Benji, how about you go and play in your room for a bit so I can talk to Mr Bishop?"

Benji frowned before slipping off his mother's lap and leaving the room. Mrs Freelancer waited until he was out of sight before speaking again.

"Don't trust that Shaw woman. She has had her claws in Duncan for almost twelve months now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that she has been controlling him. Don't let that innocent aura fool you. She's behind his disappearance. She's the reason why my son no longer has his father."

"Mrs Freelancer, what do you think happened to Duncan?"

"He's a proud man. What happened with his serum and rats humiliated him. He was overly confident and so sure that it would work. When it didn't, he did what he always did. He ran away."

"Do you know where he would run away too?"

Mrs Freelancer shook her head.

"No idea. As I said, my husband has been lost to my for a few years now. He's not the man I married; he's a stranger to me now. I don't know how this man works. Why are you so eager to find him?"

Peter took a deep breath.

"We believe that the experiments have some unfortunate side-effects."

"Side-effects?"

Peter hesitated for only a moment.

"It appears that it infects the participants with an uncontrollable rage."

"Oh."

"This is why we need to find him. Because we need to fix this before things get completely out of control."

"I'm afraid I can't help you with anything."

"Did he have an office here?"

"He has his work shop, down in the basement."

"Do you mind if I have a look around it?"

"Be my guest."

Peter followed Mrs Freelancer down into the depths of the house and into the basement. It reminded him of the lab. Minus Gene and a few technical gadgets, Walter could have made a nice home here.

"I'll leave you too it. Take anything that you need."

Now alone, Peter started looking around. Duncan Freelancer had left nothing to chance. He had cleared out everything. Even the blackboard had been wiped clean to the point where Peter could still smell the cleaner. He pulled out his phone, hitting the speed dial.

"Hey Liv. Right now I'm in a basement lab that would make Walter very happy."

Olivia chuckled.

"Is there a cow in the corner?"

"No. But there are plenty of shiny toys."

"Did you find anything?"

"No. It actually looks like someone was down here cleaning."

"Mrs Freelancer?"

"I doubt it. But she said that Felicity Shaw was not to be trusted."

"Well she would. She's the wife and Felicity is the mistress."

Peter sighed as he glanced over the paperwork.

"So how are you feeling?"

"It's only been a few hours."

"Which means you must be going nuts by now."

He could hear her smile over the phone.

"I'm fine."

"I will choose to believe you. Just promise me that you are not going to become addicted to the gossip channel or soap operas."

"I can't promise that."

Peter chuckled.

"I had better get this all back to Walter. I love you."

"I love you too."

Peter put his phone back in his pocket and started gathering the paperwork that littered the lab. He found a small, empty suitcase and he filled it to the brim. He paused when he heard the small foot steps behind him. He turned to find Benji, watching him with those serious eyes.

"Hey Benji. Are you allowed down here?"

"Sometimes. What are you doing?"

"Just taking some things that might help me find your father."

"Is he ok?"

Peter sighed, abandoning the suitcase and kneeling in front of Benji.

"I'm not going to lie to you. You are five, you know when adults lie, don't you?"

"Mummy does it all the time."

Peter smiled.

"Exactly. I don't know if your Daddy is safe but I am doing everything I can to find him."

"Ok."

"Did your Daddy tell you any of these secrets?"

Benji shook his head.

"No. But he said that he needed to fix something that was broken."

"Do you know what was broken?"

"He said he was."

Peter frowned. He had no idea what that meant and he doubted that Benji did either.

"Do you want some help?"

Peter offered the small boy another smile.

"That would be great."

Benji nodded and moved forward. Peter lifted the little boy easily onto the stool and they both started cramming more paperwork into the suitcase.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen – The Line That Can't Be Crossed

Olivia hadn't lied. She felt fine. She only felt slightly restless and that was only because baby Bishop was making comfort a little difficult to come by. She finally found a comfortable spot in the middle of the bed, creating an island of pillows and laying between them. She had never watched so much television in a very long time. Even though she and Peter watched movies, the only TV they really watched was the news and occasional documentary. So far, she had seen two shark documentaries and another on world war two. The phone call from Peter was a welcome relief. It was nice to hear his voice again. Years of working side by side and then living together made her feel like she was missing a limb when he wasn't with her. And she frankly did not like the idea of him out there alone without her watching his back. She didn't trust anyone else to do it the way that she could. She rubbed her stomach gently.

"Here's hoping, little one, that your Daddy doesn't run into any trouble."

The baby gave a kick under her hand, seeming to agree with her words. Olivia smiled.

"Nice to see you agree with me."

Her phone started to ring again and she smiled.

"Hey Rach."

"Hey Liv, how are you feeling?"

Peter had made the phone call to Rachel after they had gotten home. Her sister had flown into a panic and only calmed down when Olivia got onto the phone herself and did some smooth talking.

"I'm fine."

"Is the front door unlocked?"

"Are you kidding? Peter has me on complete lock down"

Rachel's chuckle travelled down the phone.

"Ok. Spare key still in the same place?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because I'm pulling into the driveway now."

"Ok. See you soon."

Olivia hung up her phone and waited for the sound of the front door. She heard Rachel enter and swear before making her way upstairs. She paused at the entry of the bedroom.

"Well that explains why you look like you've been robbed. What the hell did Peter do?"

"He wanted to make sure that I wouldn't need anything while he was at work."

"Nice."

Rachel moved closer giving Olivia a peck on the cheek and patting her stomach gently.

"How is the baby?"

"Fine."

Rachel flopped onto the bed beside her.

"Your husband certainly knows how to make a wake-up call."

"Sorry."

Rachel waved off the apology.

"He did the right thing. I needed to know."

"But not like that."

"No big deal. So do you need anything?"

"Actually, I've been dying for a shower. If anything, it gives me an excuse to get out of bed."

"Ok. Well you go have shower and I'll fix up the bed for you and make us a cup of tea."

"Sounds good."

Rachel watched carefully as Olivia eased her way out of the pillows and slid off the bed. Olivia smiled slightly.

"I'm fine."

She grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. Despite the shower when they had gotten back from the hospital, Olivia still felt grimy from being in bed. She ran the water as hot as she could handle and stood under the spray, cleaning her hair before stepping out. She took her time drying off and getting dressed, immediately feeling better in her familiar track pants and t-shirt. Her pregnancy uniform. When she had stepped back into her room, Rachel was just finishing re-making the bed, two cups of tea on top of the mini-fridge.

"Better?"

"Much."

Olivia settled herself back in the bed, trying to find her comfortable position again. Finally, she started to relax. Rachel took a seat beside her, handing her the tea.

"So have you decided on a name yet?"

Olivia sipped her.

"No. Walter is a never ending supply of the but nothing sounds right. We'll figure it out."

Rachel smiled.

"You'll know when you see the baby. Do you remember when I was pregnant with Ella? It took forever to find a name a liked then I saw her and it was just there."

"I know. It does not help that we don't know the sex. But we are determined that it is going to be a surprise."

"I know."

Rachel sipped her tea, her eyes moving towards the TV where some cooking show was proceeding in silence.

"So how has Peter been about this whole pregnancy thing?"

"Fine. Taking it in his stride, just like everything else."

"He sounded terrified on the phone."

"He looked it at the hospital. I can't get the look on his face out of my head. It was probably the same look on my face. I really thought we had had lost the baby."

Olivia started to cry. Rachel moved closer, pulling Olivia into a hug.

"The baby is fine Liv."

"I know. I cry at a drop of a hat these days. Ignore me."

Rachel reached over and grabbed the box of tissues that had taken up residence on Peter's bedside table. Olivia took a couple, blew her nose and wiped her eyes. Her hand rubbed small circles on her stomach, the baby shifting slightly beneath her palm.

"I know something that will stop you crying."

"What?"

"A question."

Olivia raised her eyebrow and waited. Rachel offered her a small, cheeky smile.

"How is the sex?"

Rachel was right. The tears stopped instantly.

"Really? We're going to discuss sex?"

Rachel shrugged.

"Why not? I found it rather delightful while I was pregnant."

Olivia shifted in the bed.

"Peter doesn't have any issues."

Rachel frowned.

"And you?"

"I feel completely self-conscious. I have stretch marks that make it look like a cat climbed its way up my body."

"They fade."

"Yeah, I know. It's silly but I feel like a victim from _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_."

Olivia felt terrible about voicing her concerns and insecurities to Rachel and not to Peter. He was her husband and her best friend but when it came to the push, she could never find the right words that didn't make her sound stupid. Of course her body was going to change. She was growing a human, as Peter liked to say. She had read the books and done the research but it was different when it was actually happening. And it happened so quickly it left her breathless. Every day when she woke up, something was different. From swollen ankles, expanding fingers and toes and sudden food aversions that never seemed to stop. Peter was brilliant and supportive but it wasn't his body changing. It had taken her most of her life to be comfortable in her own skin. And when she finally got there, it all changed again.

"I know."

"And do you know what's funnier? I don't want to have sex. It's a message from my body. I've had my fun and now it's time for the hard work."

Rachel laughed.

"That will change."

"What do you mean?"

"About a month before I had Ella, sex was all I wanted. My hormones were going crazy and it was all I could think about."

"You should tell Peter that. Something for him to look forward too."

Rachel sighed.

"Have you talked to Peter?"

"No. I always sound like an idiot when I try."

"He's your husband. And I am fairly certain that you are due for an idiot moment."

"I cry at the puppy on the toilet paper commercial. I believe I have the idiot thing covered all on my own without an additional support."

Rachel shrugged.

"So? Let him in. Tell him what you feel. He could feel the same way."

"Yeah, I'm sure he's worried about the stretch marks too."

Rachel offered her a small smile.

"Liv-"

"I know what you mean."

Before Olivia could down the last of her tea, Rachel handed her a small white pill. Olivia frowned.

"What's that?"

"The sleeping pill the doctor gave you. Take it and get some rest."

Olivia did as she was told, the pill sliding easily down her throat, assisted by the tea. She moved deeper under the blankets and looked up at Rachel.

"You don't have to stay here while I'm sleeping."

Rachel shook her head.

"Nope. I'm here till Peter gets home. That was the deal."

"What deal?"

"The deal made between a sister and brother-in-law. Plus, you know how hard it is to watch my soap operas with two kids around? I have the perfect opportunity to catch up now."

Olivia smiled.

"Just don't tell Peter. I promised him that I would not become addicted to those shows."

Rachel shrugged.

"Greg is the same but I never listen. When it comes to my soaps, there is no saving me now."

The pills were taking effect quickly and Olivia's eyes started to feel heavy. With one last effort, she reached out from under the blankets, taking Rachel's hand.

"Thanks Rach."

Rachel squeezed her hand and Olivia let sleep take her, their hands still together on the covers.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N - Hey guys. Things are moving rather quickly in this story - I can barely keep up with the ideas running through my brain. And after agging work yesterday, for the first time in a very long time, I was able to get more writing done. Still no end in sight as of yet but it is getting there._

_So as always my friends,_

_Read, enjoy and review!_

Chapter Fourteen – Don't Leave Home

On a hunch, Peter decided to go back to the Freelancer's laboratory. What he saw surprised him. Pressed up against the same wall they had found her last time, Felicity was in a rather intimate situation with a young man. Limbs tangled together, hands disappearing under clothing, completely oblivious to the world around them. Peter parked the truck and approached them, waiting for them to hear his footfalls. When he got close enough to identify the young man, he cleared his throat.

"Hi Felicity. Dexter"

Dexter jumped away from Felicity, instantly releasing her. Felicity, on the other hand, rearranged her top with a casual ease before pulling out a packet of smokes from her front pocket and lighting it.

"You're back."

"I have a few more questions for you about Dr Freelancer."

Dexter glanced at Peter before skittering back into the research centre. Peter moved closer, shifting his body to lean against the wall as Felicity was.

"I want to know what in Dr Freelancer was broken."

He caught her frown out of the corner of his eye.

"He was fine."

"His son said something to me today and you must know the truth."

Felicity took a deep drag from her smoke.

"Sleeping with someone is not as intimate as people seem to think. He was a private man. His walls were always up."

"And you never tried to get through them?"

Felicity rolled against the wall so she was leaning on her shoulder.

"Are you with someone Mr Bishop?"

"Peter. And yes, I'm married."

"And how long did it take you to get her walls down?"

Peter's memory traced the line that was himself and Olivia. It took years for those walls to shift and eventually collapse entirely. But sometimes, if he looked hard enough, he could still see the old foundations.

"Quite a while."

"Well, it was far worse with Duncan. His idea of pillow talk was trying to figure out that damn serum of his."

"He told his son that he was broken."

"His son is five, what does he know?"

"More than you apparently."

Felicity finished the smoke and promptly lit another one.

"You don't have to know everything about someone to love them. I loved Duncan and he loved me."

Peter cleared his throat.

"Would you consider him dangerous?"

"No. He was a good man."

Peter frowned.

"So if you loved Duncan so much, why are you with Dexter?"

Felicity smiled slightly.

"A girls got to have a hobby right? I'm young. I bounce back fast."

"Obviously. Do you have any idea where Dr Freelancer would go?"

Felicity shook her head.

"There were only a few places you could find him. His home, here and a café in town."

"What café?"

Felicity shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. He's not there. It was the first place I looked."

"Anywhere else? Other properties?"

"No. He wasn't a fan of change."

Peter was still frowning and processing when his phone rang.

"Bishop."

"It's Broyles."

"What's happened now?"

"We have another victim. Only, this one is different."

"How so?"

"She's been eaten."

* * *

Peter knew that this particular image would stay in his mind tonight. The woman was a jogger, her legs lying at odd angles, giving Peter the impression that she was tackled as she ran. There was dirt all over her clothes as well, giving the horrible concept of the struggle that the woman was involved in. Unlike the other victims, her throat was intact. It was her abdomen that took the killing wound. Her internal organs, what was left of them anyway, spilled on the ground around her, her belly now an empty shell.

"Her name is Annika Cameron."

Peter glanced up to find Broyles standing over him, casting a long shadow in the afternoon sun.

"This is different from the others."

"Any theories?"

"A few. But I'll need to get back to Walter for that one. Did anyone hear or see anything?"

"No."

Peter looked around, understanding why. The area where Annika chose to jog was an isolated one, away from the human traffic of the city.

"Bad place to be attacked."

Peter stood and moved away from the body and onto the little slope nearby, trying to get a better view of the scene. He could see the point further up the track where she was initially attacked and the drag marks as she tried to move away. He could see the clear indentations made by her hands as she fought for her life. The prints he saw confused her for a moment until he realised what they were.

"She was attacked by another woman."

"How do you figure that?"

"Those prints are made by high heels. That's why she stopped."

"And got killed for her troubles."

"Exactly. And now I am horribly concerned."

"How does this concern you but not the other murders?"

"Don't get me wrong. The whole thing is concerning but this means that there has been a an escalation. Did Astrid tell you how many people were enrolled in this trial?"

"No."

"Two hundred."

Broyles swore.

"Now I understand your concern."

"And judging by this, it's going to the very place that I was worried about."

"Where?"

Peter glanced at Broyles.

"You ever see _Dawn of The Dead_?"

* * *

With instructions to deliver the body to the lab, Peter headed home to check on Olivia. He wanted to see her. After the horrific crime scene, he wanted nothing more than to see her face. Rachel's car was still in the driveway when he pulled in. He paused at the threshold of their home long enough to take off his coat before heading upstairs. Rachel was watching some terrible soap when he entered, offering him a small smile. Olivia was fast asleep beside her, one hand over her stomach.

"How is she?"

"Absolutely fine. She took one of those sleeping pills."

"Good. She needs to rest."

He moved around the bed, coming to stand next to Olivia. He bent down, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Rach."

"No problem. I like what you've done with the room."

Peter smiled.

"Yeah I know. I went overboard."

"I think it's sweet."

Peter moved to the end of the bed, sitting with the a sigh.

"Hard day?"

"You have no idea. I just wanted to check on her. But it looks like you've got her covered."

Rachel smiled.

"Always. Can we talk for a second?"

She nodded towards the kitchen and Peter glanced at Olivia. The pills he had given her were clearly strong ones; she hadn't even stirred while they talked. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek, smoothing back her hair before following Rachel out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. When they had woken up and he had seen the blood, he had never been so scared before in his life. Just the memory of it made pain swell in his chest and his heart pound painfully in his ears. They were his life now. He followed Rachel into the kitchen where she set about making two cups of coffee. That done, she sat across from him.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure. What's up?"

Rachel sighed, looking at her mug of coffee.

"How are you doing?"

Peter raised his eyebrows.

"I'm fine. Why? What has Liv been saying?"

"She's feeling a little…insecure. That might be the best word for it."

"Insecure about what?"

"Herself."

"About how she looks you mean?"

"Yes."

Peter took a deep swallow of coffee.

"I try to tell her. She never listens. I'm this close to getting a sky writer to spell it out to her."

"I know. She's still got some of those old walls, doesn't she?"

"I'm still working on those. She's a stubborn creature, your sister."

"I know. But keep knocking. They will eventually come down."

They finished their coffee and with another thank you, Rachel left. Peter hadn't had any word from Walter and he decided to stay home for the rest of the afternoon. He went back outside and retrieved the briefcase of files that he had taken from Freelancer's home laboratory, heading back upstairs. He settled himself beside Olivia and started to read. Most of what he found were nothing more than scribbled notes and ideas, some having nothing to do with his current research. He found a few odds and ends about Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, the core component of the diseases and the similarities. Freelancer seemed deeply obsessed with Alzheimer's and as Peter read the information over and over again, something shifted into place. He got up from the bed and retrieved his laptop, logging in and accessing the internet in a few key strokes. Within a few minutes his suspicions were confirmed. Both of Freelancer's parents had died from Alzheimer's. That was why Freelancer had focused on the disease. Peter kept looking and found that Alzheimer's, though not hereditary, would increase in likelihood if it ran through families. Freelancer, with both parents passing from the disease, had a fifty percent chance of developing the disease himself. He jumped when his phone rang, grabbing it before it could ring too long and wake up Olivia.

"Bishop."

"Peter, it's Astrid. I've been doing some digging about the trial subjects."

"Did you find names?"

"No. Still in numbers and codes. But according to the health records that I found in the research database, every single person had some sort of brain damage."

"How so?"

He heard a soft rustling of papers.

"According to his medical history, Brian was in car accident as a teen, causing some slight damage. And it looks like everyone else was the same."

"So he was testing on human subjects but not healthy ones?"

"Exactly."

"I guess that would make sense considering that whole idea of the serum was to fix something broken in the brain."

"That's what I figured too."

"Thanks. How are you feeling?"

"Fine. How is Olivia?"

He glanced at his sleeping wife.

"Fast asleep."

"She needs the rest."

"My words's exactly. Call me if anything changes."

"Will do."

Peter put his phone back on the bedside table and threw himself back unto Freelancer's research.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N - Hey guys, sorry about the delay in this chapter...But I believe that it was worth the wait_

_:)_

_So as always..._

_Read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Fifteen – A Penny To Pay The Piper

When Olivia finally woke up, it was dark outside and Peter was still making furious notes about Freelancer. He paused when she stirred, looking confused.

"You're home."

Peter glanced at the alarm clock.

"It's after 9pm, so yeah of course. How are you feeling?"

Olivia stretched and moved closer to him, curling into his side and closing her eyes again.

"Still sleepy."

"Well you haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Those pills the doctor gave you were strong ones."

"So Rach has left?"

"Hours ago."

"Ok."

"Wow, that's impressive."

Olivia opened one eye.

"What?"

"No pressure about the case? Who are you and what have you done with my Olivia?"

She closed her eye again, offering him a sleepy smile.

"She's not here right now. But if you leave a message, I'll make sure she gets back to you once she returns."

Peter chuckled.

"Ok. Well can you tell my beautiful wife that she needs to eat before she goes back to sleep."

Olivia frowned.

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat. No arguments. What do you feel like?"

Olivia frowned, her eyes still securely closed.

"Pizza. Meat lovers with extra olives and cheese. And some garlic and cheese scrolls."

Peter picked up his phone and placed the order at their favourite pizza joint, Sal's, only a few blocks away. It would have been easy enough to pick it up himself but he wasn't in the mood to leave Olivia right that second.

"So do you want to hear about my day?"

"Sure."

"Well, we have another victim."

At this Olivia's eyes flicked open completely for the first time.

"Who?"

"Annika Cameron."

He showed her the picture that Broyles had given him, the smiling face clashing with the look that was on her face at death.

"But her death was different."

Olivia moved into a sitting position.

"Why?"

Peter offered her one of the pictures of the crime scene. Olivia grimaced.

"She was eaten."

"Some of her, yes. And she was attacked by the woman. There were marks from high heels all over the crime scene. It's escalating. Whoever did this could have been on a higher dose of those cigarettes."

"Anything other than the shoe prints?"

"No. But Walter will do the DNA test on her and see if there is anything there."

Olivia nodded.

"What else happened today?"

"Well, I came across a rather passionate embrace between Felicity and Dexter."

"Really?"

"Yup. I don't think Miss Shaw is the kind to be alone for very long. I needed to ask her about what Benji said."

"Who is Benji?"

Peter smiled slightly.

"See? I miss you when you're not there. I'm not used to repeating myself."

Olivia smiled.

"So who is Benji?"

"Freelancer's boy. He's five. Very cute and rather helpful."

"How so?"

"Freelancer mentioned to Benji that the research was a secret. That he was trying to fix something that was broken."

"What was he trying to fix?"

"Well, I did some research while you were playing sleeping beauty and I found out that both Freelancer's parents died from Alzheimer's."

"Is that genetic?"

"No. But it is dangerous if it runs in families. I think Freelancer was consumed with the concept of fixing himself before he got too far down the line."

"That makes sense. Save himself and his son from the risk."

"Precisely."

"You've had a busy day."

"But that's not the end of it. I got a call from Astrid just before you woke up. She told me that every single one of the two hundred participants in the trial were suffering from some form of brain damage."

"That makes sense. No point testing it on a healthy brain."

The doorbell rang, the chirpy sound bouncing around the house. Peter took the money out of his wallet and ran downstairs, leaving Olivia to go over his notes. When he returned, she was going through some of the files he had gathered at Freelancer's.

"Are these his research?"

"Yup. Nothing much there though."

Peter placed the pizza box on the bed with the napkins he had nabbed from the kitchen. He found the plates that he made sure were within reach of Olivia and put a couple of slices and a scroll on each. He handed her the plate and a can of soda before taking a seat next to her again. He watched her eat, wondering if he should broach the topic of the baby and her insecurities. She chewed, catching his glance.

"What?"

Peter licked some grease off his thumb.

"Rachel told me something today."

Olivia swallowed and put her slice back on the plate.

"I think I know what you're going to say. And she should have said nothing at all."

"She's worried. I don't know why you didn't tell me."

"Because I don't expect you to understand."

"I know that I never could but I would still like to know these things."

Peter pushed his plate aside, wiping his fingers.

"Liv, you must know how crazy I am about you. I married you, didn't I?"

"That's not the point Peter. My body, our lives are changing so quickly and I have no control over it. You know how hard that is for me."

Peter moved closer to her.

"I love you. I like the changes, to you and to our lives. And none of that is going away. I think you're sexy, funny, charming and incredible compelling. You're patient, kind and not as tough as you want everyone to think you are. You are one of the most intelligent people I know and you always surprise me. There's a reason I can't live without you. I don't know what else you need to know Liv, but I don't care about how you look. I find you just as sexy with track pants and morning hair as I do when you're all dressed up. And being pregnant makes you even sexier. You have no idea how dirty the thoughts get. I could get arrested."

Olivia chuckled, the sound getting cut off as Peter leaned forward and kissed her. He put everything he felt and thought about her into that kiss, keeping his hands around hers. When he pulled away, they were both breathless. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"I wish the doctor hadn't put in that little side note in about sex. I would so love to prove to you just how sexy and beautiful I find you."

"Only a little while to go and I'll hold you to that."

Peter grinned as he eased away, glancing at her plate.

"Finish your dinner and then you can get some more sleep."

She didn't protest. Despite claiming she wasn't hungry, Olivia easily finished off four slices and two scrolls, pulling deeply on her soda before sitting back with a sigh. She pulled off the bed covers and headed to the bathroom. After using the toilet, she quickly brushed her teeth and ran a hairbrush through her tangled hair. Despite the fact that she had slept all day, she was still exhausted. And when she hoped back into bed, she welcomed Peter's embrace and the darkness as he flicked off the light.

* * *

Olivia responded without a thought. When her phone rang, she was wide awake, her hand reaching for it.

"Dunham."

"Olivia, it's Walter Bishop, your father-in-law."

She smiled at his greeting.

"Hi Walter. How are you?"

"Fine. Fine. Astro isn't here."

Olivia rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock. It was after nine. Astrid usually picked up Walter on the way to the lab. And she would have done it a couple of hours ago. Neither she nor Walter kept normal hours.

"Did you try to call her Walter?"

"Yes of course. There was no answer. I took the bus to work."

"Ok. I'll tell Peter."

"Thank you. I would normally not bother you but-"

"I know. I'll get Peter to give you a call."

"Thank you dear."

She closed her phone and turned to Peter, who was half listening to the conversation.

"What's wrong?"

"Astrid didn't pick up Walter and she's not at the lab."

A look flicked over Peter's fast but Olivia caught it.

"What?"

"She wasn't well when I last saw her either. And she never leaves Walter high and dry."

Peter didn't wait for her to comment, all but leaping out of the bed. Olivia watched as he dressed quickly. He paused long enough to give her a quick kiss before disappearing out of the room and then out of the house.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen – When I'm Gone

When Peter arrived at Astrid's place, he knocked, only taking a moment before working the lock. He figured that Astrid would forgive him just this once. As soon as he got the door opened, he started calling her name.

"Astrid. It's Peter."

When he got no answer, he moved deeper into the home. Astrid was a bit of mystery outside of the lab. She lived and breathed it much like they did but when Peter left, it was with Olivia and Walter with Astrid. No one really knew what was waiting for her when she got home. And now he knew. It was neat and precise, much like Astrid herself, pictures dotting available space and a nice home feel.

"Astrid."

He glanced into the small space of her kitchen, noting a few scattered dishes and not much else. He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a sound down the small hallway. He moved slowly, taking out his gun. After she announced her pregnancy, Olivia had taken Peter to the FBI gun range and ran him through his paces. After he had the gun range down pat, Olivia had gotten him his own gun and made him promise that he would go nowhere without it. So far he had kept that promise. The noises had stopped now but he heard enough to pinpoint where it was coming now. And it was the only closed door in the house. Peter tested the knob with gentle fingers, unsure of what he would find on the other side. It opened easily under his hand and he pushed it clear with his foot, his gun at the ready. He assumed that this was Astrid's room, though it was hard to tell. It was completely trashed, everything thrown and broken. And on the messy, unmade bed was Astrid, curled into a tight ball facing the wall.

"Astrid?"

The only response she rendered was a steady panting, as if she was struggling to breathe. He moved closer, lowering his gun. When he was close to the bed, he touched her shoulder, shaking her slightly. She rolled gently towards him. Her face was deathly pale, a thin sheen of sweat decorating her brow. She eyes moved rapidly under her closed lids.

"Shit."

He flicked the safety on his gun and secured it down the back of his pants. He glanced at the gauze that was still secured on her neck. With gentle fingers he pulled it back, struck by a strange odour and the huge amount of swelling. Astrid's eyes popped open and he saw something that scared him. She wasn't Astrid anymore. Her eyes had taken on a milky sheen, flicking erratically. She moved quickly, clamping her hand around his wrist, her grip tight. He felt his bones shift as the pressure increased.

"Astrid, let me go."

Astrid pulled her lips back, a low growl coming from her deep in her chest. Peter pulled hard, forcing her to release him. He inched back from her, watching as she moved slowly off the bed. She growled again, standing up straight, stumbling slightly.

"Astrid, it's Peter. You've been infected."

Astrid advanced, her steps unsteady, her hands closed in hard fists. Peter moved as slowly as he could, inching out of the room and closing the door behind him. Whatever she was now, it hadn't taken full effect. That much became clear when she merely banged on the door, not trying to open it or to get through the solid wood. Peter took out his phone with a shaky hand.

"Broyles."

"It's Peter. I need you to get to the lab and pick up Walter. I need him at Astrid's place. Now."

"What's happened?"

"No time to explain. Just make sure he has tranquilizers."

"How much?"

"Enough to take down an elephant. The stronger the better. Hurry."

Peter clicked off, wincing as Astrid banged at the door again with renewed force. Peter felt the wood shift beneath his back. It wouldn't hold for much longer.

* * *

Peter remained in his position in front of the door and yelled out his location when he heard the front door open. Walter rushed up the hallway, lab coat flapping behind him.

"Where is Asteroid?"

"She's been infected. She almost attacked me."

"Knocking her out won't stop the change."

"Maybe not but it will stop her hurting herself or others."

Walter nodded, putting his black medical bag on the ground between them, flicking it open. He took out a large syringe filled with a pinkish liquid. Peter studied it for a moment.

"Will that be strong enough?"

"It should be."

Astrid threw herself at the door again and this time Peter heard the soft splintering of wood.

"We have to hurry. Is Broyles here?"

Walter nodded his eyes on the door.

"Yes. He's coming in now."

As if called, Broyles appeared three agents behind him.

"Bishop, what's happened?"

"Astrid has been infected. We need to knock her out before she does any damage."

"How do you wish to proceed?"

Peter pointed at the syringe in Walter's shaky hand.

"We need to get that into her."

Broyles nodded and in one movement, the agents flanked out.

"Do not let her scratch or bite you. Got it?"

They all looked at Peter before glancing at Broyles who nodded. Peter took the syringe from Walter, moving away from the door.

"Walter, get out of the hallway."

Walter frowned.

"Son, I can-"

"No. I'm not risking you as well. Out. Now."

Walter opened his mouth to argue but he clearly saw something on Peter's face that shut the argument down. He clamped his mouth shut and walked stiffly out of the hallway. Peter waited until he was out of sight before glancing at the agents one last time. He took a deep breath before pushing the door open. Astrid paused before stumbling out. She didn't seem to notice Peter, focusing on one of the agents. Peter took advantage of her distraction tackling Astrid to the ground. The other agents swarmed her, pinning her down, taking advantage of Peter's surprised attack. Her growls and screams of indignation hurt Peter's ears but he ignored them, shoving the needle deep into her neck. It took a few more moments before her struggling ceased.

* * *

Peter rubbed his chin. So far he had managed to dodge Olivia's calls but that won't last for long. He wouldn't put it past her to drive down herself if he didn't answer at some point. On the fifth round, he sighed and answered his phone.

"Hey Liv."

"Why didn't you answer my calls? Are you ok? Is Astrid alright?"

Her voice was panicked and he instantly felt worse for not talking to her earlier. So much for keeping her relaxed. He looked at Astrid, sleeping and securely strapped to the hospital bed. She had been out for the count for a while now. Walter had collected samples of all sorts of bodily fluids, from saliva to urine, leaving no stone unturned. They couldn't afford too now. This virus was heading closer and closer to home.

"Liv, calm down. Take a deep breath and I'll tell you."

He heard her huff down the phone, doing as he instructed before speaking again.

"Done. Now tell me."

"I'm fine. Astrid is infected."

"Shit. What did Walter say?"

"Not much. He's still running tests, comparing the chemicals in the cigarettes to the ones that are in her blood."

"You had your gun right?"

"Yes, I did. But I never would have shot her."

Olivia sighed.

"I know. But if you had to-"

"It didn't come to that. Astrid is safe and so am I."

"Is Walter ok?"

"I don't know. I need to go back to the lab and check on him."

"Ok. Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"What happens if we can't fix this?"

Peter wanted so desperately to lie to her but she would see through it, she always did.

"I don't know Liv. But we'll figure it out. We always do."

He could almost hear her smile.

"My husband, forever the optimist."

"You know it. I have to go. I love you. I'll call you in an hour."

"Ok. Be safe. Love you too."

* * *

Olivia was too worried to be distracted. Nothing held appeal and she was getting restless. She settled on Men In Black. If anything, it filled the silence. She got the last of the ice cream, spooning on a generous amount of lemon curd before lying back against the pillows. She was half-way through her impromptu meal when her phone rang.

"Peter, I'm fine."

"It's Nina."

Olivia lowered her spoon back into the bowl.

"Sorry Nina, I thought it was Peter."

"Hardly surprising considering your ordeal."

Olivia frowned. She knew Peter had done the ring around when they had gotten home from the hospital, she just hadn't realized it was outside of the immediate family. Nina hadn't been part of that for a while now. Not since she had gotten her memories back and lost the ones that had filled the gap. Nina had checked in a few times but Olivia got the distinct impression of disapproval. Even though Olivia couldn't be happier, Nina still found the situation difficult. After all, she had been like a Mom to Olivia before. She just couldn't remember it the way that Nina could. It was hazy, as if it was nothing more than a dream or someone else's life, someone else's memories.

"So how are you feeling?"

"Better. But Peter is working our case right now."

Nina sighed.

"Yes I heard about that case. Reanimation and all the glory that comes with it."

"Have you worked on this before?"

"It's hard to explain. How about I pick up some food and come around to your place?"

Olivia was tempted to decline the offer. It was hard being with someone who shared thoughts and images of you that you simply could not grasp but the lure of information was too much for Olivia. She wanted to help the people. She wanted to help Peter.

"Ok. The spare key is in the gnome by the door."

"In the gnome?"

Olivia smiled.

"It's in the lab coat. It was a gift from Walter."

Nina chuckled.

"Of course. I will be there shortly,"

Olivia glanced at her phone as Nina hung up. She idly toyed with the idea of calling Peter but he would be busy dealing with Walter. The idea of Astrid being infected made her stomach turn and she pushed aside the last of the ice cream. They could fix this. They had to. They had to save Astrid.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N - Hey folks. This chapter is dedicted to S.A Fringie...Thanks for the idea for this one. I was so focused on Peter and Olivia that I forgot about the little fact of Nina. So thanks you. This ones for you. Tell me what you think!_

_And for the rest of you,_

_Read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Seventeen – When There Is No Light For Us

Walter was angry. He was pacing and mumbling to himself. And what gave it away completely is the fact that he yelled at Gene when she mooed cheerfully. He never yelled at Gene.

"Walter, calm down."

"No. Astro is turning into a monster because we were not fast enough. She's turning into a monster because I did as my friend asked. This is my fault."

Peter opened his mouth to protest but something made him pause. He remembered the day that Grafton had come in and the start of the autopsy. He had been distracted at first, the image of baby Bishop keeping his eye. But he had seen it.

"Walter, listen. Do you remember the autopsy on Grafton?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"

"What did you spill?"

Walter paused, struggling to think back.

"Water."

"Would it be safe to assume that water re-activated Grafton?"

"That could be an assumption but it does not explain the others."

"Moisture. Have you got Astrid's blood sample?"

Walter nodded and pointed to the microscope on his desk. Peter lowered his eyes and looked at the blood sample. Something was different with the cells.

"Something's not right."

"Yes. The cells are destroying themselves. There's something else too."

"What?"

"She seems to have lost all sense of thought and awareness, judging by what you told me of course."

"Which means what?"

"It appears that the serum focuses on the amygdala. It cuts out everything except the basic functions."

"So what? The people are left as nothing more than rage machines? What about the woman that got eaten?"

Walter shrugged, his anger and frustration clear on his face.

"It could be just the serum evolving."

In on quick movement, Walter swept his arm across the desk, clearing off some test tubes and paperwork. Peter jumped back, avoiding the shattering glass.

"Walter! Stop! We can't help anyone if you keep going like this. We need to think."

Walter nodded his body still tense.

"Fine. Let's get to work."

Walter sat back behind the table, ignoring the crunch of glass beneath his shoes.

* * *

Olivia found it a little uncomfortable that Nina as in her room. She was also suddenly aware of how much laundry had gathered in the far corner and the forgotten pizza boxes from the night before. Nina stood awkwardly in the door way, two boxes in her hands.

"Looks like Peter has you covered."

Olivia glanced around the room with a smile.

"Yeah I know. So, take a seat."

It was awkward again as Nina glanced for a place to seat, realizing that the only place was the bed. She sat on the edge, sliding one of the boxes towards Olivia.

"I got you some doughnuts. Half of them are the lemon ones you like so much at the moment."

"Thank you."

Nina glanced at her stomach.

"How is the little one?"

"Baby Bishop is fine."

"Good. I'm glad you are both ok."

"So am I."

All the conversations between her and Nina had been awkward. Olivia had made a choice, one that she had never for a moment regretted but it also meant losing things that she never thought she would miss. And Nina, the only mother she had known for the second part of her life, was lost to her now. But Olivia refused to regret it. She had gained Peter back and he was worth everything. Losing him would have cost far more. But she also remembered the promise she had made not to lose her completely.

"So what did you want to tell me?"

Nina sighed and placed the second box on the bed.

"Freelancer had approached us before about his research."

"What?"

"He was trying to sell his serum. For a little while there, we were considering the research as valid."

"What happened?"

"Well, we tested the serum on chimps."

"I heard what it did to the rats."

"Then I don't need to tell you what happened to the larger subjects."

Olivia almost flinched. There were some things that she didn't want to know.

"And what did Freelancer do?"

Nina sighed.

"He was deeply convinced that the B-serum –"

Olivia frowned at the new term.

"B-serum?"

Nina shrugged.

"That's what Freelancer called it."

"Oh. Sorry, keep going."

"He was deeply convinced that the B-serum would work on human's, that is didn't matter what happened to the chimps."

"He was desperate."

"That's what I thought to. He never explained why."

"We know why. His mother and father both passed away from Alzheimer's. He was trying to fix himself and his son."

"Well, that would do it."

Olivia glanced at the box again.

"What else do you know?"

Nina frowned. Olivia could see her second guessing her choice to visit.

"I'm not sure if I should-"

"You came here to tell me."

"I don't want to cause you any stress-"

Anger flared in Olivia's chest.

"My family is at risk. And one of them is infected. If you aren't going to tell me what I need to help them, then you should leave."

It was the opposite reaction of what she was used to. Tears were usually the result of frustration and anger but Nina's hesitation simply caused her heart to pound and heat to race across her cheeks. She could do nothing to help Peter except this. Nina nodded sharply and took the lid off the box, offering Olivia the files. Olivia flicked through them.

"What are these?"

"The results of the test on the chimps."

"And?"

"It appears that the B-serum attacks the amygdala, stripping the brain of all functions except the bare basics."

"Bare basics?"

"Heartbeat, ability to breath and not much else."

"But what about the anger?"

"That was the other side effect. With the stripping of everything else, there is nothing to control the rage that is usually contained by other areas of the brain. The rage releases adrenaline, which makes the victims incredibly dangerous. That was why they were able to tear people into pieces."

"One of the victims had been eaten."

Nina cocked her head slightly.

"Really? That could be because of his further development of the B-serum. It has been a few years since I saw him."

"Well, it's not just the B-serum that has changed."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Freelancer apparently didn't appreciate your negativity. So he found a way around that. It looks like he put the B-serum into cigarettes and then handed them out under the guise of a smoking trial that Walter's old friend signed off on. After what happened, we know Grafton consumed some of those tainted cigarettes as well."

Nina frowned.

"What happened?"

"Grafton was dead for two days by the time we got him. Just after Walter cracked open his skull, he came back to life and attacked Astrid. She's the one who has been infected. I shot him in the head and he was dead again."

Olivia shook off the sick feeling that came with the idea of Astrid suffering for this and focused her thoughts again.

"Do you know gets me? None of the other dead re-animated. They victims of the trial subjects were dead, and stayed that way."

Nina nodded.

"You need a living subject. Grafton, though dead, still carried the B-serum. We deducted that it travelled via moisture. If they victims of the attacks were dead before the B-serum had a chance to travel, it never had a chance to take hold completely."

Olivia nodded slowly.

"I wondered about that too. We figured out that Freelancer was handing out the trial subjects varying strengths of the B-serum. But it took a while for it to run its course in Astrid."

"That makes sense. She had limited exposure so the infection was a slow burn."

Olivia paused in the reading of her notes.

"Did he come to your offices alone?"

"No."

"Was it with a pretty young girl?"

"No. A very serious young man with rather large glasses."

"Dexter."

Nina shrugged.

"He never offered his name and I never asked."

Olivia nodded slightly.

"He has affection for Freelancer's mistress."

"Oh."

Olivia let the silence fall between them as she continued to flick through the files. Despite all the notes that Peter had collected at Freelancer's, these were far more comprehensive. They even had rough drawings of the complete intention of the serum. Massive Dynamic had ensured that the serum had been tested completely before dropping the idea entirely.

"So what was wrong with the serum?"

Nina shrugged slightly.

"Nothing that we could completely pinpoint. It just appeared that rather than healing the area of injury, it did nothing more than remove the healthy part of the tissue."

"The reverse of what Freelancer was trying to do in the first place."

"Correct."

Olivia sighed and closed the file, offering Nina a small smile.

"Thank you for this. Sorry for snapping at you."

Nina smiled.

"I can understand your reaction."

"It was uncalled for."

"I would expect more considering not just the stress you are under but considering the hormones that are going crazy in your system right now."

"I could turn into one of the zombies."

Nina chuckled.

"I would hardly call them zombies."

"I know but Peter does and I seem to have picked up the habit."

"Well, if anything, it seems more like _28 Day Later_ than say _Dawn of The Dead._"

Olivia raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"I am impressed. You like horrors?"

"Not really but I do enjoy the odd one. And I have something else for you."

Nina produced another file from the inside of her coat. When Olivia flicked them open, she was presented with a picture of Dexter and Felicity.

"I did some serious digging about those two when he went missing. I haven't read them yet so I don't know if they will be any good."

"No, this is perfect. Thank you."

"You are welcome. Anything for you."

Olivia could hear, almost feel the sentiment behind the small sentence but she didn't feel it herself. Since her memories had changed, things were different now. She wanted to keep that connection with Nina, she really did but it was hard. Hearing that level of affection in her voice reminded Olivia of that.

"Do you know when you were younger I caught you and Rachel playing brides all the time?"

The sentence, coming out of nowhere, shocked Olivia slightly. She didn't remember any real happy thoughts from her childhood after her step-father. There wasn't in room between the beatings and the fear. Then again, her memories were different from Nina's recollection. It was something she always forgot. Her eyes followed Nina's gaze. It was one of the few pictures from the wedding that Olivia adored. They hadn't done anything fancy for their wedding. Simply friends and family, a nice dinner and good music. And it had been perfect for them. The picture itself had been a completely candid one. Peter, looking incredibly handsome in a suit, leaning towards her, telling her a dirty joke, if she remembered correctly. He looked cheeky in the picture, his mouth pulled into a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkled, his mouth just over her ear. She looked elegant in her simple wedding dress but it was the look on her face that caught her off guard every time she saw the picture. She looked relaxed, her mouth slightly open as she went to laugh at Peter's joke. They hadn't even noticed the photographer that Rachel had hired had even been looking at them. It had just been a quick moment between them. With her hair in large, soft curls, red lipstick, soft make-up and French manicure, she looked like a completely different person. The French manicure didn't last long though. By the time they got back from their week long honeymoon in Hawaii, she was back to her normal, short unpolished nails. And after they had gotten their first scan of baby Bishop, Peter had come home and tucked the tiny, grainy picture into the frame. It looked like an odd family portrait.

"Rachel always made you be the groom because you were older and of course taller. You would play for hours. I always knew that you would be beautiful bride one day, even back then. You just had to find the right man."

Olivia couldn't help the shake in her voice when she spoke.

"He found me."

"Or you found each other."

Olivia smiled slightly.

"I think he's put a bit more effort into me than I did him."

"The best couples shape each other. That's how I know Peter is right for you."

Olivia had never been one to need people's approval for her actions. She worked hard because it was in her nature, the mile long stubborn streak that refused to let her do anything less. And her relationship with Peter was the same. She didn't expect people to understand. It appeared to the rest of the world to be a whirlwind courtship. Few understood that it was in fact years in the making. That a simple mistake had taken those years. It was Peter's mere the presence that had made her remember what had been forgotten. He was the piece of her that had always been missing, the answer to the question that she never even knew that she had. And despite not needing anyone's approval, it was still nice to hear Nina say the words.

"You didn't seem happy about it at the beginning."

Nina shrugged.

"I couldn't see it. But now I do. I understand what you gave up. And I understand why."

She glanced at Olivia's stomach and smiled.

"You are happy. That is all a mother, even a replacement mother, can ask for her kids. And as long as Peter treats you right, he has nothing to worry about."

Nina glanced at the alarm clock by the bed.

"I had better get going. Call me if you need anything else."

"Ok.

Nina hovered for a moment before leaning over and giving Olivia a quick kiss on the cheek, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, before gently clasping Olivia's chin with careful fingers.

"I am so glad that you are happy. It makes you even more beautiful."

Olivia said nothing as she watched Nina leave, still stunned as the front door closed gently behind her.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N - Hey folks. With things getting serious, I decided to slip a little naughty in there. If you remember the chapter with Rachel's visit, you know what's coming. Just not the full hog. Just more sweet than anything else._

_So, as always my friends,_

_Read, enjoy and review_

_:)_

Chapter Eighteen – The Man Who Can't Be Moved

When Peter finally made it home, all he wanted to do was sleep. They had spent all day running Astrid's biological samples over and over, trying to connect the crazy dots of the case. And Walter insisted on staying at the hospital. Peter didn't have the heart to drag him away. If Olivia wasn't bedridden, they would be there too. Walter had settled himself in the corner of the room with a stack of red liquorice and a book. He didn't want Astrid to wake up alone. But Peter knew that it wasn't going to happen. There was a steady stream of sedatives to make sure she remained unconscious. And since they were no closer to finding a cure, she would remain that way. When he entered the bedroom, he was surprised to find Olivia not only awake, but studying files that were spread all over the bed.

"Liv?"

She lifted her head offering him a smile.

"Hi. Welcome home."

"What's all this?"

"Nina visited me today."

"Oh."

Olivia patted the bed beside her and Peter took the space offered, kissing her temple.

"Hi."

Olivia leaned against him, notes in her hands.

"Freelancer tried to sell his B-serum to her."

"B-serum?"

"That's what Freelancer called it. He tried to sell her on it. Apparently, it travels via moisture."

"Yeah, we figured that out too."

"Good."

Olivia lowered her notes, taking in his face completely for the first time. He was exhausted.

"How is Astrid?"

Peter sighed.

"Still out. Walter is at the hospital, he wanted to be there for her."

"He's worried."

"He's scared. I am too."

Olivia took his hand, kissing his knuckles.

"We'll sort it out. And with the all clear from the doctor tomorrow, I have your back."

She felt Peter tense beside her.

"No Liv, it's too risky."

Olivia moved away from him, incredulous.

"Are we really going to start this again? I am fine."

"Liv, Astrid is infected. One scratch, one false move and that could be you."

"I'm fine."

"You keep saying that but you didn't see what it did to Astrid."

Olivia shook her head.

"I refuse to not be a part of this. This is my case too."

"I know but look what it has gotten us so far. You in bed and Astrid infected."

Olivia slid off the edge of the bed, standing, putting her hands on her hips.

"I can't live like this for the next few months. Two days is one thing but I can't do it for any longer. I thought you understood that."

"Liv, I'm not saying desk duty. I just don't want you on this one. The risk is too high."

"They have always been too high. That's the way our jobs work."

The anger passed through Olivia as quickly as it came in the first place. She sunk back onto the bed.

"Peter, please let me be part of this. I need to close this case."

"I do as well Liv."

"So let me be part of this. Please."

She hated pleading. Peter said nothing but his jaw tightened. Olivia knew that this wasn't over but he didn't protest any longer. Olivia cleared off the files and slipped back under the covers. Peter stood, running his hands through his hair.

"I need a shower."

He went into the bathroom without another word. Olivia stared at the ceiling as she heard the water run and Peter step under the spray. They rarely argued. That could be why this particular one left her feeling nauseous. A few minutes later when Peter stepped out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam following him, she still felt ill. She wondered what he was thinking. In steady silence, he put on a pair of boxers and flicked off the light. He slipped under the covers and turned over with a sigh.

"I'm just worried Liv."

"I know. But I can't live like this."

"I just want you and the baby to be safe. Nothing means more to me than that."

"I know Peter. But we are safe. I would never put the baby in danger. And I will do what I have been doing for months and stepping away from bad situations. But I can't do that without you. Please don't be upset with me."

She saw the flash of Peter's small smile in the dark and she knew it was over. His anger never lingered very long. But she also knew that she would have to hold up her end of the deal, regardless of what it meant. Peter pulled her close to him, her stomach bumping into his.

"I'm not mad."

"Good."

Olivia snuggled into him.

"What else did you figure out today?"

Peter kissed the top of her head, his thumb making small circles on her shoulder.

"We finally figured out what re-activated Grafton."

"What?"

"Well, clearly to get the B-serum into him, he had to be smoking the trial cigarettes. Walter thinks enough was absorbed into his system to make him infected but not to turn. Then Walter spilt water on his brain, kicking in the function of the B-serum."

"And then I shot him."

"Yup."

"Well that explains why the other victims that were attacked never came back. If they didn't have the serum in their system to start with, their bodies didn't have enough time to process."

"See, there is progress."

Olivia smiled against his chest. Peter shifted slightly.

"What time is our appointment tomorrow?"

"Nine o'clock."

"Good. We should get some sleep."

They fell into silence, Olivia doubting her decision again. She did this at least three times a day, when baby Bishop would shift and she would be reminded of the precious person who was inside of her. She would give her life for this child and fight tooth and nail to protect the baby. But the problem was the issues were out there in the world. And the only way to protect her family was to be out there, stopping them. She reminded herself of that as Peter's steady heartbeat took her to sleep.

* * *

Olivia was in the kitchen for the first time in two days making herself a cup of tea and waiting for Peter to get out of the shower, when the doorbell rang. She pulled open the door to find a courier with a wide smile on his face.

"Olivia Bishop?"

"That me."

He handed her a box and she quickly signed it off for him, closing the door with a hasty smile. She frowned at the box, taking it into the kitchen and sliding off the lid. Nestled inside were some complicated looking disks with a smaller square piece of technology in the middle.

"Who was it?"

Peter, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, was standing in the doorway. Olivia felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of him, still damp and steamy from the shower. The reaction triggered her memory of the conversation she had with Rachel. And of course, her luck being what it was, it had to happen now when there was no time for distraction.

"Just the courier. Except I have no idea what these are."

Peter glanced into the box before flipping one of the disks in his hand.

"It looks like a tracker. A fancy looking one at that. Who are these from?"

Olivia glanced at the top of the box again, a frown forming quickly.

"They're from Nina."

"Is there a note?"

Olivia moved the tracker and disks aside and found a small envelope. She tugged it open, glancing over the neatly typed note.

**_Olivia,_**

**_I thought these might assist you in finding your culprit. They are the latest in tracking systems and the only ones of their kind_**

**_Let me know how they perform._**

**_Nina_**

Peter's frown matched Olivia's.

"Kind of an odd gift."

"You never know, they might come in handy."

"I won't say no if they help."

Peter glanced at the clock on the wall.

"I had better get dressed."

He leaned forward to kiss her and Olivia caught the scent of Peter mixed with soap, an unbelievable fragrance that made her heart pound unevenly in her chest. Peter had swooped in for a quick kiss but suddenly, Olivia wanted more. She captured his lips again, tasting toothpaste, his lips smooth and familiar on her own. For a moment, she forgot the case and her fear about Astrid. The only thing that consumed her was his mouth, his smell and his touch. She touched the smooth plains of his damp, naked back, feeling the muscles shift as he pulled her closer. He broke the kiss and Olivia was only slightly glad he did. She didn't think she could. She could hear the blood in her ears as the world came rushing back into focus and Peter smiled at her.

"What was that?"

"I think that was what Rachel was talking about."

Peter cocked his head slightly.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing. I'll explain later. Go get dressed. Before I decide that you are over-dressed."

Olivia smiled slightly as Peter left. Much like the morning sickness, the food aversions and mood swings, things had changed again. She wondered how anyone could focus with the additional hormones that were normal, let alone the ones that now consumed her, the ones that demanded she forget everything and focus entirely on her husband. She sipped her tea, hearing Peter above her as he shifted around their bedroom getting changed. She gave herself a mental shake and turned her attention back to the trackers. There was time for that later. She needed to focus.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N - HEy folks - things are rolling ahead nicely. And it made me laugh when people were excited about Peter wondering around in a towel. Don't worry, it was the highlight of my day when I wrote it and the image stayed in my head._

_It made work great :)_

_So as always..._

_Read, enjoy and review!_

Chapter Nineteen – Cure For The Itch

Olivia felt completely relaxed this time. She smiled at the doctor when he came in, flicking through her chart.

"Hello Mrs Bishop, Mr Bishop. How are we today?"

"Fine."

"Any more bleeding or spotting?"

"No."

"And you've been on bed rest?"

"Yes. My husband here basically moved our home into our bedroom."

The doctor smiled at Peter.

"Well done Mr Bishop, I'm glad you heeded my words."

"Yes I did. But now I have to move everything back. We look like we've been robbed."

The doctor chuckled slightly before glancing at the nurse.

"Good. Ok what we will do is a scan first and then a pelvic exam."

When the nurse flicked on the monitor, the small heartbeat that filled the room was strong and steady. Olivia watched as the baby shifted, being it's normal active self.

"Looks good. Do you want to know the sex?"

Olivia glanced at Peter.

"No, we don't."

"Very well."

He did the pelvic exam with quick efficiency, offering Olivia and Peter a smile as he slipped off his latex gloves.

"I can happily say Mrs Bishop that you are out of the woods. But you still need to be careful. No jumping over tall buildings or tackling bad guys. Your husband can do that instead."

Peter chuckled.

"That will be a nice change."

* * *

A few minutes later, two DVD's of the scan in hand, the headed to the FBI hospital facility. Olivia wanted to see Astrid for herself. It seemed almost silly the things that Peter had told her. Almost impossible. Not that he would lie but Olivia still wanted to see her. When they arrived, they found Walter fast asleep in the corner of the rom, bent at an odd angle on the stiff chair. Olivia approached Astrid carefully, surprised at what she saw. She was pale and sweaty, her neck swollen and distended, her body twitching against the bonds that kept her on the bed. Peter had explained they were nothing more than a precaution, just in case she woke up, but it seemed horrible for their friend to bed restrained like that. Olivia smiled at the memories that came when she looked at Astrid on the bed. Like the girly squeal that she unleashed when Olivia had asked her to be her second bridesmaid. Or how Astrid and Walter had unpacked the last of her and Peter's new home while they were on their honeymoon. Or when during her first month of pregnancy she spent most of her time in the bathroom and Astrid had come over with enough food to feed Peter for a week. Or all the research Astrid had done to try and help sort out the morning sickness. Astrid was a member of her family, someone who they relied on heavily. Someone who they sometimes took for granted. Olivia turned to look at Walter, still fast asleep in the chair. Sweet, odd, overly-protective Walter. Astrid's infection must be killing him. Olivia knew that Astrid was like a daughter to him, an odd combination of protector, assistant and carer. Olivia moved over to Walter, gently shaking him.

"Walter, wake-up."

With a snort, he opened his eyes, staring at her for a moment before smiling.

"Olivia, my dear! You're on your feet again. How wonderful."

He stood stiffly, stretching before giving her a hug.

"We were very worried about you."

"I know. But the doctor gave us both the all-clear."

Walter moved back slightly before pressing a hand gently to her stomach, another smile coming to his face as the baby kicked beneath his hand.

"Hello little one."

Walter's gaze moved from Olivia's stomach to Astrid, his face becoming sad.

"There's been no change."

"In this case, it might be a good thing. You need to eat Walter. I'll stay with Astrid. Go with Peter."

She glanced at Peter, who took Walter's arm.

"Come on Walter."

Walter frowned at Olivia.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes I have. But I won't say no to some pancakes."

Walter snorted.

"Not from here. They are too dry. We will find you something good."

Olivia smiled as they left the room, waiting for the door to close before pulling the chair next to the bed. Astrid's hand was still clenched in a tight fist, even with the sedative. Olivia settled for putting her hand on Astrid's wrist, ignoring the sweat and the trembling.

* * *

An hour later, each with two trays, Walter and Peter came back into the room. Walter gave her a cup of tea with a smile. Olivia watched as Peter left again, reappearing a few moments later with two more chairs.

"It's herbal. Raspberry and blackcurrant, it was the best smelling one."

"Thanks Walter."

She watched as Walter moved the table from near Astrid, turning th screw until it was lowered enough for them to sit around it. Everything from the food pyramid was on those trays. From slices, to bacon, fruit, toast and even muesli. She went for the bacon but Peter caught her movement and handed her the muesli instead.

"We've been eating a whole lot of junk lately. Try the muesli. I even brought this with me."

Peter dug around in his pocket, proudly producing a small jar of her precious lemon curd. He smiled at her as he added three spoons to the top of the muesli and then a generous helping of milk. She took the chair that Walter pulled out for her and eating. She hated to admit it, but it tasted good.

"Right boys, let's get this sorted."

Both Peter and Walter looked at her as they ate.

"Shouldn't we be doing this at the lab?"

Olivia shook her head pointing at Astrid with her spoon.

"This feels more like home with all of us in the same room. Plus, we need to go over what Nina told me."

Walter frowned, the bacon halfway to his mouth.

"Nina Sharp visited you?"

Olivia nodded, chewing the last of her muesli before speaking. "Yes. Turns out that Freelancer had gone to visit her a few years ago to try and sell the serum. They turned it down after they saw what it did to the chimps."

Walter's frown deepened, the bacon slipping from his fingers.

"Chimps? That is not procedure and not at all accurate. There is a reason that when it comes to things like this they start with rats. Chimps? That's just cruel."

Walter shook his head as he picked up his bacon again. Olivia offered him a smile.

"Nina was right to refuse it. It was dangerous. According to her, it strips everything in the brain down to the most basic of all functions. That's why they get angry, which then pumps adrenaline into their system, allowing them to reach absurd levels of strength."

Walter nodded.

"Adrenaline is an amazing thing. You know that legend about a mother lifting a car off her baby? Completely possible."

Peter sipped his coffee.

"I believe that. So what else do we know?"

"That Felicity wasn't around the first time that he introduced the serum. And considering how that woman follows Freelancer like a shadow, there's something in that."

"So we need to talk to Dexter again?"

"Precisely. And I think I know what we can do with those trackers."

Muesli done, Olivia reached for some of the bacon before her husband and father-in-law could finish it off completely. It was over cooked and a little limp but she ate it anyway. Peter cocked his eyebrows when she didn't finish her statement.

"Well? What about the trackers?"

Olivia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Well, Dexter is the only one we don't know."

Peter nodded.

"Agreed but why track him?"

Olivia licked the tea from her lips.

"When was the last time any of our suspects told the truth right off the bat? We could do some surveillance."

Walter smiled.

"That would be fun."

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"It's not as fun as it sounds. Try doing it for twelve hours on end and see how you feel."

Walter clapped his hands.

"It's a deal."

Peter shook his head at their exchange, opening his mouth to talk but frowning instead. There was an odd silence in the room. And seconds later they knew why. The heart monitor that had been chirping happily since they had entered the room started screaming urgently. It only took Olivia another second to realise what that meant. Astrid's heart had stopped.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty – When You Do That Thing You Do

Peter flew into action. He lowered the head of the bed as low as it would go before climbing on, his legs on either side of Astrid's hips as he started manually forcing her heart to beat. It was only a moment before the door flew open and medical staff flew in. Peter climbed down and they stood, huddled together as they watched the doctor's work. It took four shocks with the paddles before Astrid's heart started beating again, the rhythm steady and reassuring. The main doctor, a small Asian man, wiped the sweat off his brow before turning to them, his face grim.

"We have her stable now. But we don't know how long it will last."

They left as quickly as they appeared, the frown never leaving Peter's face. He was thinking about something, Olivia could almost see the wheel's turning in his head.

"Peter, what are you thinking?"

"We didn't see what happened to the other rat."

Like father like son. For the first time, in a very long time, Olivia had no idea what he was talking about. But Walter was clearly on the same wavelength as his son. He nodded, his mouth twitching.

"You're right son."

"Is someone going to explain this to me?"

Peter turned to her.

"We never saw what happened to the rat in the testing. What happens if they are exposed too long?"

They all turned to Astrid.

"We need to talk to Felicity Shaw again."

* * *

After dropping Walter off at the lab, they headed to the research centre. When they arrived, there was no sign of life, the doors firmly locked. Peter glanced at his watch.

"They should be here by now."

"We can wait in the truck. We need to talk to her."

They climbed back into the truck, settling themselves in for a long wait.

"How was Nina when she visited?"

Olivia frowned.

"How was she meant to be?"

Peter shrugged.

"I don't know."

"She was fine. It was a little strange but relatively painless. She made some comments about us."

Peter shook his head.

"Doesn't matter. We are not her business."

"She was at our wedding Peter."

"Because Rachel organised the guest list. If I had my way, she would not have been there."

Olivia sighed.

"She raised me and Rachel."

"But you don't remember that."

"It does not erase the fact that she did. She cares about me and Rachel. Do you really think that I should right her off for loving me?"

"No."

"She's not going to do anything to hurt me Peter. Trust me on this one ok?"

Peter nodded.

"Fine. But only because it's you."

Olivia leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Good move."

"So are you going to tell me what happened in the kitchen this morning?"

"Oh. That."

Peter crossed his arms with a small smile.

"Yeah that. I thought you were going to attack me."

Olivia ran her hand through her hair.

"Just something Rachel said took me by surprise."

"A good surprise?"

"You tell me. You were in the kitchen with me."

Peter chuckled.

"I'm not complaining, believe me. I was just curious."

Olivia, wanting to test the theory, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the scent a delicious mix of Peter and leather, pulling the image of half-naked Peter to her mind again. Yet again, her heart started to race, her breathing quickened and her fingers itched to reach for him. Damn.

"I'll explain when this is over. I promise."

She could feel Peter's eyes on her, the air thick with his concern.

"Calm down Peter. It's not bad."

"If you say so."

She opened her eyes and gave him a wide smile.

"Honestly. I'm fine."

The roar of an engine paused the conversation and they both watched as a slick silver Audi pulled up outside of the research centre. A few moments later, a slightly dishevelled Felicity climbed out, smiling and waving as the car pulled away. She didn't unlock the doors merely leaned against the wall and started smoking, her eyes half closed. Peter's eyes narrowed.

"I don't think she's smoking a cigarette."

Olivia was about to ask how he knew but Peter was already climbing out of the truck. Olivia followed suit and when they were closer, Olivia knew that he was right. She could smell the marijuana accompanied by alcohol. Felicity flashed them a smile.

"Welcome back. What's up?"

It didn't seem to occur to Felicity that she was smoking an illegal substance in front of an FBI agent. Olivia was fairly certain, that for whatever reason, Felicity thought herself untouchable. Either that or she simply didn't care what happened to her. Olivia moved forward and plucked the joint from Felicity's lips as she started to take a deep drag again. Felicity's eyes widened as she watched Olivia stomp it out with her foot.

"Hey! That's mine!"

Olivia shook her head.

"No, that's illegal. Now you need to talk to us about the rats."

"Jesus! What is it with you people and the fucken rats?"

"We need to know what happened after the rat attacked."

Felicity rolled her eyes.

"We killed it. We put it to sleep. We couldn't keep it while it was like that and Duncan didn't have the conclusion to the serum at that point."

"Do you know what happens to the people long term?"

Felicity frowned, seemingly confused by Olivia's comment.

"They are fixed? I don't know."

Peter frowned.

"Well, we think we know. The body shuts down. Our friend that has become infected just had to have her heart re-started. Any clever response for that?"

"Whatever. Can I go to work now?"

Peter moved a little closer, his eyes becoming dark.

"You don't care, do you? You are part of the reason that we have bodies piling up."

"It has nothing to do with me. I was merely doing as instructed by my boss."

"See, here I was thinking you were a smart girl. Obviously I gave you far too much credit."

"Hey you!"

Both Peter and Olivia turned away from Felicity to see a tall woman come striding down the path, her hands in fists at her sides and her face pulled into a nasty snarl. She ignored both Peter and Olivia, throwing herself at Felicity, wrapping her hands around her throat and shaking her. Olivia managed to get between them, pushing the woman back hard. Felicity gasped and slid to the ground, Peter grabbing the other woman before she could make another go at Felicity.

"My son is sick because of you! You said the trials were safe! "

Peter locked his arms around the woman's, his voice low.

"We can help you. But you need to calm down. Got it?"

The woman struggled for a few more moments before nodding slightly. Peter slowly released her, measuring how she would take her freedom. The woman remained in the same spot, a deep frown on her face, her eyes still on Felicity.

"You said it could help him to stop smoking. Now he's sick…..SAY SOMETHING!"

The woman's scream echoed unevenly in the air. Olivia glanced at Felicity, who had regained her footing, her hand stroking her throat.

"I don't know what to tell you. But your son would have signed you a waiver."

The woman turned to Peter.

"Can you really help me? Because right now, I want to hurt this girl and that deal is the only thing stopping me."

Peter glanced at Olivia before looking at the woman again.

"Your son isn't the only one who is sick. Where is he?"

The woman wiped her eyes angrily.

"At home. I want answers."

"We don't have them yet. But we know a few things."

Peter pulled out his phone, turning to Olivia.

"I'll call Walter. He'll want to see this. Ma'am, what's your address?"

"!47 Bruickmore Way."

"Ok."

Peter stepped away from him, the phone firmly on her ear. Olivia glanced at Felicity.

"You should go inside."

Felicity nodded and made her way into the building on shaky legs. Olivia turned back to the woman.

"I'm Agent Dunham. What's your name?"

"Janette Collins."

"And your son?

"Anderson. He only went on the trial because we needed the money. I don't know what I'm meant to do."

Janette broke into another wave of sobs.

"Anderson is all I have left. I can't lose him."

Olivia put her arm around the woman, passing a glance at Peter, who was still talking on the phone. She knew that they needed to see this kid, becasue aside from the Astrid, he was the only living person that they had met with the infection. Everyone else had their lives ended with a bullet. And Olivia didn't think she could deal with breaking the news to this woman that her son might just end up the same way. Because he would become a monster if they couldn't fix it. Just like Astrid. Just like the other people at the lab.


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N - Hey folks - so it has happened. We have hit ninety, the highest amount of reviews that I have had to date! Thank you to all of you that not only take the time to read my stories but also to review._

_Thank you_

_So..._

_Read, enjoy and review!_

Chapter Twenty-One – When My Name Is Called Again

The Collins home was in a neighbourhood a far cry from what Olivia was used to. This was in the lower end of town, the kind of place where gangs and prostitutes gathered, the kind of place where police and FBI agents were never welcome.

"Put your badge away."

Peter's voice was low and serious and Olivia nodded before slipping her badge into her pocket. She took her gun from her holster as well, slipping it down the back of her pants instead. This kind of area made her nervous. She rubbed her stomach as baby Bishop responded to her nervousness with a few little kicks. She focused on her breathing, trying to return it to normal as they pulled into a cracked and narrow driveway. Janette was out of the truck before it had come to a stop. Peter put his hand on Olivia's arm as she made a move to follow Janette.

"Liv, I need you to stay here."

Olivia frowned.

"Why?"

"Because we don't know what state he is in. It could be dangerous. And also because Walter is coming in a cab and he never has anything bigger than his bus money."

Peter tried to make a joke of it but she knew what he meant. The risk was too high and he was cashing in on her promise that she had made. He pressed a twenty-dollar bill in her hand.

"That should cover the cab. If I don't come out running and screaming, you can assume that it's safe."

Peter leaned forward, his lips resting for a second on her temple before they were gone and she watched him retreating into the house. It was in serious need of work, much like their home when they had first purchased it. The difference was they had the money to fix it. The Collins clearly did not. Olivia waited impatiently for the cab, getting more and more nervous not knowing what was going on behind those walls. She wanted to reassure herself that Peter was safe and that everything was ok. Her eyes made their way back to the front door before she forced them to glance at the rear view mirror. She felt her body stiffen as she caught the glimpse of a youth ambling towards the truck. She leaned forward, placing her gun carefully into her jacket pocket and across her lap. He was definitely up to something. The way he kept his head down, his movements cautious screamed that his motives weren't the best. He came right up to the passenger door, his eyes locking on hers for a moment. He seemed surprised to see her there. But then his face changed, twisting into a cold smile.

"Get out of the truck. Now."

Her hand on her gun, Olivia flicked off the safety. She wasn't scared. If anything, she was annoyed. She didn't care that her door was unlocked or that the window was open a few inches. If he got close enough, she would take great joy in defending herself. She wasn't in the mood to be threatened. She shook her head at him.

"No. In fact, I would advise you to back off."

He was taken aback by her response, clearly expecting the fear that he usually got from his victims. He moved closer to the truck, lifting his shirt slightly, allowing her to glimpse the gun that he had tucked there. She cocked her eyebrow at him.

"I hope you have the safety on."

He huffed and withdrew the gun. It seemed silly that the only thing that Olivia could think of was the fact that it was smaller than her own gun. She didn't have a chance to produce her own gun before Peter came rushing out of the house and without a word, hit the boy hard in the face. Olivia watched as the youth crumbled to the ground and Peter took his gun, pointing it at him, his voice low and angry.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you for threatening my wife and child."

The youth started to cry as his hand covered his face, blood seeping between his fingers. Peter lowered the gun again and moved forward, making the youth do an odd crab walk to get away from him.

"Go…NOW!"

The boy tripped over the curb as he ran, almost falling flat on his face. Peter pulled open the door, his face pale.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I had my gun."

Peter ignored her protests pulled her close, pressing several kisses onto her cheeks. Olivia pulled away.

"Peter, I can look after myself. Speaking of which, Walter's here."

Peter bet her too it, paying off the driver before greeting Walter. When Olivia had locked up the truck she moved closer to them.

"So what do we know?"

"The kid is infected."

"How far along?"

"Hard to say. It hit Astrid hard. With Anderson, he's still aware of things but confused. Come on, you need to check him out."

Olivia and Walter followed him back into the house, Olivia stopping at the bottom of the stairs. It was still risky. She knew it, so did Peter. He smiled slightly at her before he went into a room. Janette was sitting on the sofa, her hands wrapped around a mug. Olivia could see the shaking in her hands.

"Are you ok? I was about to call the cops and realized how stupid that was. I got Mr Bishop instead."

Olivia offered her a small smile.

"I'm fine. Despite what my husband sometimes thinks, I can take care of myself. He's gotten ridiculously overprotective since I got pregnant."

Olivia settled herself in the tattered chair across from Janette.

"Janette, I need to ask you something."

"Sure. Do you want a cup of tea or anything?"

"No, I'm fine thanks. Janette, we know a little something about Anderson's fellow test subjects. According to records, they all had a head injury of some sort, even a minor one."

Janette nodded.

"Anderson cracked his skull on the frame of a window when he was four. He got a fragment of it stuck in his brain. The doctors figured that whatever damage was caused would fix naturally on its own. Kid's brains are resilient that way."

"Yeah I read that somewhere."

Janette glanced at Olivia's stomach.

"How far along are you?"

"Five months."

"Do you know the sex yet?"

Olivia shook her head.

"No, my husband I decided to keep it a surprise. It makes decorating a little difficult though."

Janette smiled slightly.

"My husband and I did the same when I was pregnant with Anderson. We thought we were having a girl. Thankfully, Jarrod had the good sense to stay with natural colours."

Olivia nodded.

"Sounds like a smart guy. You said that Anderson was all you had left."

Janette sighed.

"Jarrod died seven years ago. A heart attack took him from us. That's why we live here. Hard to survive on one wage with the cost of living being what it is now days. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What happened to the others that were infected?"

And there it was, the question that Olivia didn't want to be presented with. She wanted to lie, from one mother to another, she wanted to lie. But how could she?

"Honestly?"

Janette nodded.

"We only know of one survivor so far. She's a friend of ours."

"Where is she?"

"In the hospital, knocked out to try and stop the change."

"The change?"

Olivia sighed.

"The cigarettes contain a chemical. It strips the brain of everything except basic functions. And it leaves them with uncontrollable rage."

"Did they die?"

Olivia nodded slightly and said nothing more, letting the information settle. They didn't know the first thing about fixing this B-serum, reversing the effects enough to perhaps give people a normal life.

"Anderson only decided to do this for the money."

"How much were they paying?"

"$1000. It would have kept us going for a couple of months. It was meant to help him quit, something he always promised me he would do."

Olivia was about to respond when she heard a loud thump above them. She glanced at Janette before taking out her gun and heading up the steps, moving fast on the creaky wood. She pushed open the door and found Walter examining Anderson, his face pulled into a frown when he saw her.

"Olivia, welcome. Anderson this is Olivia."

Anderson raised a hand in a slight wave. He was a good looking kid with dark hair and an easy smile. If it wasn't for the fact he was shaking and sweating, she never would have thought that anything was wrong with him at all.

"You ok?"

"I heard a thump."

"Walter dropped a book he was looking at."

"Oh."

Olivia slipped her gun away, moving closer to Anderson and Walter.

"Walter, how does it look?"

Walter stood up straight.

"He's infected from what I can tell. What I want to do is take him back to the lab. I have an idea."

"What's that?"

Walter shook his head.

"I'm not sure yet. But he's as good a guinea pig as any."

Peter came up beside her, the horribly familiar packages in his hand.

"We found these."

Anderson glanced between them, clearing his throat.

"I had to take one a day every day. They weren't very strong."

Olivia frowned.

"Did you take more than you should have?"

Anderson nodded slightly.

"Sometimes."

Olivia sighed, looking at Walter.

"Ok. I'll go clear it with Janette."

* * *

When they arrived back to the lab, Walter and Peter set about making sure that Anderson was completely secure. If he did change completely, they needed Walter to be safe. With Anderson completely secure and Janette's consent, they started taking samples all over again, just as they did with Astrid. With nothing but what she had learnt over the years and basic biology under her belt, Olivia helped where she could before settling herself down with the forgotten files that Nina had given her. The information about Felicity and Dexter were extremely in-depth. Everything from high school to where they grew up was covered. She was highlighting some points when Peter came up to her, handing her some tea.

"Thanks."

"Find anything interesting?"

"Not yet. But I want to go and visit Dexter at his home. I get the feeling we won't find him at the centre."

"Do you have the address?"

Olivia offered him a smile.

"Yup. Courtesy of Nina Sharp."

Peter glanced at Walter.

"I can go alone Peter. I just want to check him out."

She could see him weighing up the odds and dangers.

"I have my gun. I'll shoot anyone who gets too close. Walter needs you here."

Peter sighed.

"Fine. But call me, ok?"

Olivia nodded.

"Promise."

Olivia pulled on her coat and strode out of the lab, the file on Dexter still securely in her hands.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N__ - Hey folks! Almost at the magic number of 100. Thank you to you all for reading. And I'm glad that it's getting som much attention...Perhaps I should chuck in another half-naked Peter scene..._

_So keep reading!_

_And as always..._

_Read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Twenty-Two – Darkness And Dreams

There was no one there when she arrived at the house. She glanced around her as she popped open the front door and stepped inside. Dexter lived with his mother, that much she knew. His father was long gone, leaving just after his son was born. Olivia paused long enough to pass a glance over the kitchen before heading down a hallway. All the doors were open and it didn't take her long to find Dexter's room. It was covered in scientific posters and covering one wall, was a whiteboard covered in a formula, one that Olivia assumed was the failed B-serum. There was a large collection of science books too but not much more. There weren't any family photos or mementos that she would expect in the home of a young person. She nosed around a little more before tugging open the small closet. Dexter was very neat and orderly. His clothes were separated into colours, summer and winter, ending with coats and suits. She pushed them aside, surprised to find a large box stuffed with comic books tucked in the back. She flicked through a few, all of them in plastic covers and flawless. She moved deeper and found a blue shoebox. She took the box out of the closet and moved to the edge of the bed. She popped open the top, frowning as she took in the contents.

"Whoa."

It appeared that Dexter wasn't as innocent as they first thought. In the box were hundreds of pictures, all of Felicity. There were ones with her getting out of cars, eating in diners and even at her home. He had been stalking her. The most disturbing thing that Olivia found was tucked into one of the corners. Some of Felicity's hair, tied in a ribbon, the edges clearly cut. Olivia didn't want to know how he had gotten it. She pulled her phone from her pocket, hitting the speed dial as she looked through the pictures more thoroughly.

"Is everything ok Liv?"

Peter was so worried all the time, Olivia was beginning to wonder what would happen when baby Bishop had his or her first cold. Peter would have a stroke.

"Peter, I'm fine."

Peter sighed.

"Find anything?"

"Yes. You would not believe what I found."

"A wardrobe full of zombies?"

"No. A shoe box full of pictures of Felicity. The kind of pictures that a stalker would take."

"Creepy."

"Oh it gets worse. There's a lock of her hair as well, tied in a ribbon. It's been cut."

"Why is it the creepiest people seem to be the smartest?"

"Because us stupid people need to survive on good vibes."

Peter chuckled.

"Good point. You have a plan?"

"Yeah, I want to see Felicity again."

"Don't tell her about the box."

"Why?"

"What would you do if you found out some weirdo was stalking you?"

Peter was right. She would track the bastard down and shoot out his knees. Felicity didn't seem like the kind of girl to take that kind of shit either.

"Good point. Either way, we are going to need to speak to Dexter."

"Yeah, I know."

"How's Anderson?"

"Surprisingly relaxed. He and Walter and exchanging rude jokes."

Olivia smiled.

"Good old Walter. Is Janette ok?"

"She headed home. But I told her the second anything changes she would know. She didn't want to sit around and watch us do the test. Which, considering how invasive some of them are, I don't blame her."

"Have you heard from the hospital?"

Peter sighed and Olivia knew that he had. And it wasn't good news.

"She's getting worse. I told them to give her father a call. He has a right to be with her. If we can't fix this, he needs to be able to say good bye to her. He deserves that much."

"Peter-"

"I know. I want to do right by her, Liv. We would want to say goodbye and we are the family she adopted. Her father deserves the same respect."

"I know."

"Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"I know I'm meant to be the optimist in all of this but I'm getting worried."

She wanted to reassure him, like he always did her but he was never a fan of lies. He liked the truth, even if it was just to prove everyone else wrong.

"We've sorted out far bigger messes than this, remember?"

She could hear the smile.

"Yeah I do."

"And even if this ends in the way we don't want, we can't do anything more than our best. Astrid would want that."

"I know. She would be pretty annoyed at all the fussing, wouldn't she?"

"Yeah she would."

She heard Walter's voice in the background and Peter sighed again.

"I'm being summoned. Call me later."

"Ok. Love you."

"Love you too."

Olivia hung up and then took a few pictures of the boxes contents with her phone before slipping a few of the older ones into her coat. She wanted to show Peter what she had found. She placed it carefully back in the closest and left the room and the house, locking the door carefully behind her.

* * *

When she arrived at the research centre, she wondered how Felicity got any work done at all. She was back in her normal position at the front, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. Felicity rolled her eyes as Olivia approached.

"What now?"

"I have a few questions about Dexter."

"Fine. I need a coffee."

Felicity stomped out the cigarette and headed into the research centre, Olivia following behind her. They went into a small staff room and Olivia took a seat as Felicity made herself a coffee with several sugars and cream.

"Do you want something?"

"I'm fine thank you."

Felicity took the seat across from her.

"Ok, so what do you want to know?"

"How long have you known Dexter?"

Felicity shrugged.

"I don't know. Three or four years? He was here when Duncan picked me to work here with him on his research."

"Did you know him before you came here?"

Felicity frowned.

"No. Why?"

"Just curious."

"You would have thought that the FBI would know all of this already."

"Well, we like to hear it from the horse's mouth so to speak."

"Fine. What else do you want to know?"

"Have you slept with him?"

Felicity smiled.

"Yes. And let me tell you, it was nothing to write home about. That poor boy was a virgin until a few years ago. Such a little nerd."

Olivia wondered how Felicity could be so casual about the whole thing.

"You seemed pretty happy when Peter saw you the other day."

Felicity smiled again.

"Peter, now he's a hottie. Shame he's married."

It was stupid, immature and completely unfounded but Olivia felt a small stab of protective jealousy anyway. She fully blamed her hormones. Peter was…well he was Peter. She never doubted for a second that he loved her. He had proved it more than once and she knew he never doubted her either. What need would either of them have for others in that regard? They had their share of differences but the main thing was what they had in common, their love for each other. Olivia knew this. But it didn't stop her from wanting to stamp out her territory anyway.

"Happily, from what I believe."

Felicity sat back in her seat.

"And you? Why are you still working? Isn't it a little dangerous considering the fetus you are carrying?"

Olivia cleared her throat, reminding herself that she had no reason to take offence to Felicity's words. She was a scientist after all.

"I'm not here to talk about that. Stop changing the subject."

Felicity put down her mug and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What else do you want to know?"

"Dexter."

"Like what? He's smart, nerdy and good at his job. He's harmless."

Olivia wondered idly how quickly her attitude would change if she knew what was tucked in the back of Dexter's closet.

"Yeah, he certainly seems that way."


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N - Howdy folks! Thanks for all the reviews. The story is going well, fates have been decided..._

_So read, enjoy and review!_

Chapter Twenty-Three – Take What You Need But Leave My Heart

Olivia was halfway back to the lab when her stomach started to rumble. She had learnt fairly early on in the pregnancy that if her body told her to eat, she had better listen. More than once she had delayed eating and found herself feeling dizzy and weak. She thought about what she wanted, smiling as she pulled into the local Chinese restaurant. She ordered more than enough, including the tofu and chicken dumplings that Walter loved so much. As she waited for her order, she went over her conversation with Felicity again. The girl had no idea what she had been doing to Dexter. In fact, she didn't appear to realize how good she had it. Olivia frowned when her phone rang, glancing at the screen.

"Hi Nina."

"Hello Olivia. How are you?"

"Fine. How are you?"

"Good. How is Astrid?"

Olivia swallowed.

"Peter asked the FBI to call in her father."

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"We'll fix this."

She heard the false confidence in her voice and she was grateful for it. Fake it until you have it, as Rachel liked to say.

"I have some more information for you. I'm not sure how relevant it is"

"Who or what is it about?"

"It's a whom. Felicity Shaw."

Olivia took one of the wonton's that the woman behind the counter offered her, giving her a smile as she dipped it deep into sweet and sour sauce.

"What about her?"

Nina was polite enough to ignore Olivia steady crunching as she made her way through her wonton.

"I wasn't aware of this when I gave you the information that my techs found. Which surprised me considering how much it involves me."

Olivia frowned as she licked off her fingers.

"How so?"

"She applied for a job here."

"Applied? I thought you guys all had a deep passion for head-hunting."

Nina chuckled.

"Yes, I can see why you would think that. But we have a standard arrangement with some of the best University's around the world. We allow them to send through the most promising graduates our way."

"Good way to keep an eye on the talent I guess."

"That's the idea."

"But she didn't get it. Why?"

Nina sighed.

"She's a smart girl, there is no denying that. But she had no passion. In fact, she didn't seem to care at all. That is when Freelancer picked her up."

"I've met with her a couple of times now and I don't know why she does the work at the centre. She does not seem to care that she had in all this mess."

"Which is why we didn't take her on. You can have all the intelligence in the world but it means nothing without the passion or concern."

"So, did Dexter Culter apply at any point?"

"Yes. Well, we offered him a job. But he seemed determined to stay with Duncan Freelancer."

"It wasn't Duncan that he wanted to be with."

Olivia could hear the frown in Nina's voice.

"Sorry?"

"I went to the Culter home today and discovered that Dexter has been stalking Felicity."

"Oh. For how long?"

"At least two years from what I can see."

"That explains a lot."

"Order for Bishop."

Olivia smiled her thanks, balancing her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she headed back to the truck with the food. A sudden impulse took her by surprise.

"Nina, we are having some Chinese at the lab if you care to join us."

"Thank you for the invitation but I'll take a rain check until this case is over. That way we can talk properly."

"Well, in that case, I'll make sure Rachel's there too."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I would rather it just be us. We have so much to catch up on."

"Ok. I had better go before Peter starts calling wanting to know where I am. Talk later?"

"Definitely."

Olivia hung up and put her phone in her pocket, putting the Chinese in the seat beside her. She was just about to pull back into traffic when he phone went off again. She didn't have to glance at the screen to know who was calling.

"Hey babe."

Peter chuckled.

"Babe? That's a new one. Where are you?"

Olivia smiled.

"Getting food. Baby Bishop demanded some attention. I have enough Chinese to feed a small army. Including those dumplings that Walter loves so much."

"Great! Walter was just saying he wanted food."

"How's Anderson?"

"All hooked up. Walter thinks he might be onto something. He's looking at stem cells."

"Stem cells?"

Yeah. They occur naturally in the human body, including the brain but the B-serum has destroyed it. Walter thinks that if he can slow down the progress of the serum or at the very least create some super stem cells-"

"We might have a chance."

"Precisely."

"How long?"

Peter sighed.

"Walter does not know. At the moment he has Anderson in an ice bath, trying to slow things down but it does not look promising."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"I don't know. Walter hasn't broken it down that much for me yet.

"Maybe once we get some food into him he will be better."

Peter chuckled.

"Maybe."

"Right, I'm heading back now. Unless you want cold Chinese."

"Okay. Drive safe."

"Always do."

Olivia put her phone back into her pocket and finally put the car into gear and slipped into traffic.

* * *

When she finally got to the lab, she found a damp looking Anderson sitting on a chair with one of Walter's old sweater's on.

"Hey Anderson. Hope you like Chinese."

Anderson nodded, standing to help her unpack the boxes of food. Peter pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before digging in, Walter right next to him, nabbing the dumplings before anyone else could.

"Peter, check this out."

She laid out the pictures that she had taken from Dexter's shoe box. Peter studied the as he ate his noodles.

"That's creepy."

"As I said, he's stalking her. And I have an idea on how to get him back to the research centre."

"How?"

"By using the one thing he can't refuse – Felicity. If we get her to give him a call, surely he will come in. We can put the tracker on his vehicle and follow him."

Peter gave her a smile.

"See this is why I married you. You have the best ideas."

Olivia shrugged as she munched a spring roll.

"I try. Walter, how are things going."

Walter sighed, his chin resting in his hand, looking to all the world like a child who had lost his toy.

"Not well. Stem cells are not as easy as you would think. And it appears that I may have to cash in a favour."

"What?"

Walter sighed again.

"I don't wish to offend you."

Olivia glanced at Peter, who shrugged, Olivia looked at Walter again. He seemed genuinely concerned.

"Why would you offend me?"

"You're about to be a mother. What I am proposing may be provocative."

Olivia put down her roll and leaned forward slightly, putting her hand over Walter's.

"Walter, could it cure Astrid?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Will it hurt you, me, Peter, the baby or Anderson?"

Walter frowned.

"Of course not."

"Then you won't offend me. I promise. What is it.?"

Walter sat a little straighter.

"Well, stem cells are naturally found in the human body. But in adults, the cells are specific to certain areas. For example, liver cells can't fix the heart or vice versa. What I am proposing is the use of embryonic stem cells."

Olivia cocked her eyebrow.

"As in aborted fetuses?"

"Yes. But they can also be cultivated in a laboratory. The issue with aborted fetuses is the long length of time. For the stem cells that I need, ideally, they must to be three-five day old embryos."

"Who do you know that can do that for you?"

Walter sighed.

"Nina Sharp."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four – When The End Is The Beginning

Olivia offered to make the call for Walter but he insisted on doing it himself. He had specific instructions for Nina and he was afraid that no one else would get it right. After they ate, he borrowed Peter's phone and slid into his office. Peter got down to work, ducking behind a microscope while Olivia started cleaning up the mess from feeding the troops. Anderson stood and started to help, sliding a glance at Olivia and then further down to her stomach.

"Congratulations."

Olivia followed his gaze, giving him a smile.

"Thank you. How are you feeling?"

Anderson shrugged as he tossed some napkins in the trash.

"Fine I guess. How am I meant to feel?"

"I have no idea."

"Mr Bishop told me about your friend."

Olivia ignored the lump in her throat, swallowing it hard.

"Peter's going to tell you off if you keep calling him Mr Bishop.."

Anderson cracked a smile as he took his seat again.

"My mother raised me correctly. She hates herself for this."

Anderson tugged at his sleeve. Olivia settled herself in the seat across from him.

"Why did you sign up for this?"

Anderson sighed.

"For the money and because I thought it would help me stop smoking. The trial called for me to have one a day for two weeks. If I wanted the money that was all I was allowed to do. And instead, I might die."

"Anderson-"

"Don't start lying now."

"Ok. I don't know what's going to happen. But we are doing our best."

"I know. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Olivia offered him a smile.

"You're not in restraints, so that is a good sign. Your infection is low enough for you to not pose any immediate risk."

"Oh happy day."

Olivia gave him a smile.

"That's the attitude that we are looking for."

Walter came striding back into the room, his frown still deep.

"Did you get what you needed Walter?"

Walter nodded, the phone still clutched in his hand. Peter moved closer to his father, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Walter?"

"It will take some time. And then more time to make the cure. If it is the cure."

Peter gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"We knew that already Walter."

"I guess I was hoping for better news."

He slipped out from under Peter's hand and came to stand beside Anderson.

"How are you feeling?"

Anderson stood and opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His eyes widened and with a gasp, he sunk to the floor. Walter managed to catch him and Peter helped him drag Anderson back to the bed.

"Shit. That was quick."

Walter frowned when Peter spoke, pushing open Anderson's eyes and examining them.

"His eyes haven't changed."

Walter released his eye lids and slipped his hand to Anderson's wrist.

"His pulse is rapid. Peter, I need the thermometer."

Peter turned, searching for a second before handing it to Walter. Walter tugged at Anderson's jumper before tucking it under his arm.

"Walter, I thought he was safe. It was a low exposure."

"This B-serum is like some sort of cold. It depends on the person and how their body works. Perhaps he has a lower immune system."

Walter withdrew the thermometer, squinting slightly as he read it.

"He's got a temperature."

They watched as if by some unheard cue, Anderson started to shake. Walter glanced at Peter, his mouth in a hard line.

"We need the restraints."

Olivia took a step back as the men both moved quickly, strapping Anderson onto the bed. Peter was finishing off the last of the strap as Walter filed a syringe.

"It seemed to work ok for Astrid."

He tugged up Anderson's sleeve and slipped the needle into his vein, releasing the fluid. The shaking eased slightly. Olivia pulled out her phone.

"I'll call the hospital."

Neither man commented as Olivia made the call. When she hung up, Walter was back behind his microscope.

"They said they will be here in ten minutes."

"Good."

Olivia frowned as her phone started ringing again.

"Dunham."

"It's Broyles. We have another body."

Olivia glanced at Peter.

"Eaten or torn?"

Broyles sighed.

"Neither. You may want to come and see this for yourself."

"What's the address?"

Olivia clicked off as soon as Broyles was done. She tugged on her coat. Peter glanced at Walter.

"Walter, do you need me here?"

"Of course not. Anderson is in restraints and as long as those medics do as I say, I will be fine."

"Ok. Call me if you need anything."

Walter nodded once before lowering his head again. Peter pulled on his coat with a sigh.

"Let's go."

* * *

When they got to Lexington Park, it wasn't hard to find the crime scene. Broyles met them, nodding towards a lump in the distance.

"Go and see for yourselves."

Olivia and Peter exchanged a glance before heading over to the body. It was man, no older than forty, curled onto his side. Olivia moved around to the man's face, his face pulled into a snarl even in death. Olivia moved the man's hand carefully.

"Peter, there's no blood."

"Good sign."

Peter carefully rolled the man onto his back. Olivia frowned as she took in his ragged clothes. Then she noticed the thick red bands around his neck. She tugged up one of his sleeves, finding a matching mark on one wrist and then the other.

"Peter. Look at this."

She pointed at the marks. Peter lifted the man's arm and examined the mark carefully.

"It was like he was restrained."

"Around the neck?"

Peter shrugged.

"It doesn't look like there is any other sign of trauma. How much do you want to bet that his heart stopped?"

"Maybe. Or not."

There, in a neat pattern on the inside of his elbow, were a series of needle marks. There was clear bruising too, another indication that the same vein was being used over and over again.

"We need him back at the lab."

Peter nodded and stood, moving over to talk to one of the medics close by. Olivia stood as well, rubbing her lower back. She was suddenly desperately tired and in dire need of a hot bath to soothe the muscles that were clutching and twisting.

"Liv?"

That overly concerned look was back on Peter's face again and Olivia gave him a smile.

"I'm just a bit tired."

"We'll get this body back to the lab and then I'll get you home."

"Walter can't be by himself."

"Yes he can. You need to-"

"Peter."

She moved closer to him.

"I'm fine. We'll get this body back and I'll get a taxi home."

Peter sighed and then smiled.

"Ok. Are you sure you're ok? No pain?"

"No pain that a hot bath and a nap couldn't fix."

Peter laughed.

"Good to know."

They watched as the body was photographed and then loaded into the back of the coroner's van. Peter put his arm around Olivia and she leaned into him as they headed back to the truck.


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N - Hey folks...weare getting there slowly but surely..._

_Thanks for all the reviews and for continuing to follow my little story_

_:)_

_So read, enjoy and review._

Chapter Twenty-Five – Death Becomes Her

Olivia sighed as she unlocked the front door, pausing to shrug off her coat and headed up the stairs. She was exhausted. She ran herself a deep, hot bath filled with bubbles and sunk into the heat gratefully. After an hour, her muscles had relaxed and she got out, pulling on her track pants and t-shirt slipping under the covers. She closed her eyes with a sigh. But sleep didn't come. Her brain was still spinning after the body in the park. After another hour, she sighed and took out her phone.

"Hey Peter. What's the verdict?"

"Aren't you meant to be sleeping?"

"The wheels won't stop spinning. What did Walter say?"

There was a slight commotion and Walter's voice took the place of Peter's.

"Olivia my dear, this is Walter. You were right."

"His heart stopped?"

"Yes. It collapsed under the strain of the B-serum But there is something else."

Olivia pulled herself up the bed before rearranging the pillows.

"What?"

"He has enough drugs in his system to start a small pharmacy. Someone was experimenting on him."

"Interesting."

"Isn't it?"

"Thanks for that Walter. Can you put Peter back on?"

"Very well."

There was another shuffle before Peter came back on the line.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good, now that I 've had a bath."

"Well, I should be home in a few hours. I'll wait until Walter is finished with this body and then drop him off."

"Ok. I'll try and get some sleep."

"Take one of those pills that the doctor gave you, that should help."

"Yes boss."

"Night, sleeping beauty."

Olivia was still smiling as she put the phone on the bedside table. She glanced at the pills before sighing and popping one in her hand, pushing it down with a glass of water. She settled herself back under the covers and waited for the pill to work its magic. Her eyes were just starting to get heavy when her phone rang. She didn't open her eyes when she answered.

"Dunham."

"It's Broyles. We've managed to find a few connections to your case."

"How so?"

"There has been a slight rise in missing persons in the last couple of weeks. The man in the park? He was reported missing a week and a half ago. And I am of the belief that he is not the only test subject that is on the missing person on the list."

"How many?"

"Going by instinct, I would say at least two dozen."

"So someone is collecting the subjects and experimenting on them?"

"Sorry?"

She had forgotten that Broyles wasn't aware of the theory.

"That body in the park? It was experimented on."

"Freelancer?"

"I would be inclined to think so. He's still missing and this was his experiment."

"What do we know about the other test subjects?"

"Not much. Astrid was still working through the codes, trying to find the names."

"Ok. I can get another computer tech to have a look at that."

"Thanks."

There was a sudden silence at Olivia was wondering if Broyles had been cut off or merely hung up until she heard him sigh.

"Olivia, have you re-considered taking some time off?"

Olivia sat up in the bed again, now awake and feeling slightly foolish.

"Yes."

"And what have you decided?"

"I'm willing to compromise."

"How so?"

Olivia sighed.

"I can't just stop Phillip, you know that. And it makes me anxious the idea of Peter being out there alone."

"We can have another agent with him. That is not an issue."

"I know. It's also my sanity that I need to consider. So I have decided that I can cut my hours. If I'm not needed, I will be home. Just like I am now."

She could hear the surprise as Broyles spoke again.

"You're at home?"

"Yes. Down side of being pregnant? I get exhausted far too easily."

Broyles chuckled.

"Yes that is a side effect of growing a person."

Olivia fiddled with the edge of the bed spread.

"So is that enough to get the big wigs off your back?"

"It should be. My concern is for you and the baby, not office politics. You know that, right?"

"Yeah I do. Between you and Peter you have the whole worried thing completely covered."

"Let me know if you need anything else."

"Ok."

The line went dead and Olivia put it back on the bed side table. She sat there for a few more moments wondering what to do next. She wasn't tired anymore, just restless. She pushed off the covers, tugging off her pyjamas as she went.

* * *

When she arrived back at the lab, she was greeted by a peculiar sight. The first thing she noticed was a rather tall man in a black suit, his hands folded neatly in front of him as he stood motionless by the door. She took a step back in surprise before moving forward. The next thing made her pause. Nina, Walter and Peter were sitting at the table, heads close together, voices low as they discussed something in hurried tones. It was Peter who noticed her first, raising his head with a frown.

"Liv?"

Olivia pushed her hair from her face.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Did you take ones of the pills?"

"Yes. And then Broyles called me."

"What about?"

Olivia glanced at Walter and Nina, passing them a smile.

"Hi. Peter, can we talk?"

"Of course."

He moved to her, taking her hand and leading her into Walter's office. He closed it behind them, looking anxious.

"What happened?"

Olivia gave him a smile, trying to ease some of the tension on his face. She grabbed his hand again and lead him to the sofa, pulling him down beside her.

"Broyles called me to let me know that the man out there? He's a missing person. He thinks that at least two dozen of the people on missing person are on the trial. He's going to finish working on the list that Astrid was trying to process of the trial subjects."

"That's good. We might be able to get some names."

"I know. And we reached a compromise about me taking maternity leave."

Peter's face softened.

"Oh. What was the compromise?"

"Well, I explained that having you on the field without me made me anxious. And he said he could arrange for another agent to work with you."

"Walter won't like that."

"I know. But the only way that I can stay in the loop somewhat is if I cut my hours. So that's what I'll do. But I'm not going on desk duty. I'll hire someone to carry me around on their back all day before I do that."

Peter laughed.

"That could be interesting."

Olivia linked their fingers together.

"I really don't like the idea of someone else having your back. I don't trust anyone else to do it properly."

"Hypocrite."

"Sorry?"

"You won't let me worry about you but you feel free to worry about me."

Olivia ran her thumb across his knuckles.

"You're my husband."

"And you're my wife. I'm allowed to worry too."

Olivia smiled.

"You worry too much."

Peter leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes and breathed in the appealing scent of Peter. Even when the scent of chemicals lingered there, he still smelt like everything that was good in her life. Without conscious thought, she moved slightly, capturing his lips with her own. It was meant to be light, an act of love and comfort but within seconds it became something else entirely. Olivia moved closer, pressing herself into Peter. He didn't fight her, leaning back until they were laying on the sofa, her hands searching desperately for his skin that was hidden beneath his clothes. A part of her suddenly knew what Rachel was talking about. It didn't matter that they had a case or that just beyond the door were Walter and Nina. She wanted him. She wanted him with an urgency that she felt with every inch of her body and soul. He whispered her name, his mouth finding the skin of her neck.

"Peter, I need your help with-"

Walter stood frozen in the door way, Olivia feeling the heat drain from her body as quickly as it had consumed her in the first place. This wasn't the first time that Walter had walked in on them. At least they still had their clothes on. But the effect was still the same. It not only killed the mood, it buried it deep in the ground.

"Excuse me."

Walter closed the door quietly as he left. Olivia leaned back into Peter, breathing him in again, knowing that this stolen little moment would not come again anytime soon.

"I love Walter but right now, not so much."

Peter chuckled beneath her, his hands on her hips, keeping her in place.

"Yeah I know the feeling. We had better get back to work."

Olivia nipped the skin of his neck.

"Are you sure?"

"We can keep going but you know that Walter will just come in again."

Olivia sighed.

"I know. Got to give a girl points for trying."

Peter laughed again as Olivia climbed off him. They both h rearranged their clothes before heading back out into the lab. Nina was gone and Olivia frowned at Walter.

"Where is Nina?"

"Oh she had to go. Had another appointment apparently. But she had time to drop these off."

He held up a small vial of clear fluid.

"What is that?"

"The very thing we need for a cure."

"The stem cells."

"Precisely. But I don't know how much this will make. Nina said that it was hard enough to find the three vials she gave me."

"Do you have enough for Astrid?"

"Yes. And it's almost ready."

When her phone started to ring, Olivia stepped away from the two men slightly.

"Dunham."

"Hello Olivia, this is Stephen Farnsworth."

Olivia's stomach sunk to her shoes.

"Is Astrid ok?"

"She's getting worse. They had to put in a machine to help her breath and she's having issues with her heart."

She remained silent as she heard Astrid's father start to weep. She waited for him to compose himself. When he spoke again, his voice was shaky.

"They said that I needed to make calls for her family to come and say goodbye. So I found your number on her phone. They don't know how long she has. She will want you here."

"Ok. We will be there soon."

"Thank you."

Olivia lowered the phone from her ear, her hands trembling slightly.

"How much longer Walter?"

Walter glanced at his watch.

"I need another ten minutes or so. Why?"

"Astrid is dying."


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N - Hey guys...Ok so this isn't the happiest of chapters but stay with me...I promise it is worth it._

_:)_

_So as always..._

_Read, enjoy and review!_

Chapter Twenty-Six – When There Is No Light In The Tunnel

The ten minutes felt like ten hours. The seconds slipped past so slowly that the world might as well be standing still. The silence didn't help. Walter, for the first time in a long time, seemed at a loss for words. Or couldn't find any that fit what was happening. Peter was the same. And when the machine alerted them that the cure was ready to go, they all jumped slightly. Olivia didn't want to go to the hospital. She didn't want to think that they might lose Astrid. She didn't think she could handle it. Astrid had been part of this dysfunctional family, another cog in their odd little machine.

"Come on Liv."

She was so lost in her own thoughts she didn't see that Walter had prepared the syringe, carefully putting it into a medical pouch and slipping it into his pocket. Peter's hand wrapped around her own, pulling her gently from her seat. She followed him numbly, Walter just behind her.

* * *

When they arrived, Olivia's eyes went to Astrid first. She had gotten worse. Olivia didn't need to see the machines to know that things had definitely gotten worse. Much worse. The machine that was helping her breath was violent in the silence of grief.

"Thank you for coming."

Olivia finally saw Stephen Farnsworth and she wondered how she didn't see him before. He was a big man, taller than she thought he would be, his face grim. She moved around the bed, coming to stand in front of him. She studied him for a moment before moving forward and hugging him. It didn't matter that she had never met him before. When she stepped back, he shook hands with Peter and Walter before looking at Astrid again.

"The doctors are not optimistic."

Olivia looked at Astrid too.

"She's fighting it as hard as she can."

"I know she is."

Stephen wiped his eyes before offering them all a slight smile.

"It's good to finally meet the people that she always talks about."

He glanced at the door, as if expecting someone to step through.

"She doesn't tell me anything she's not meant too. She just likes to let me know she's safe. She said that she doesn't have to worry much with you three around."

"She' the backbone, let me tell you. Nothing would get done without her."

Walter offered Stephen a smile.

"We all greatly admire her. She's a good girl."

"I know. There's another reason I wanted you here."

Olivia watched as Stephen pulled a thick envelope from his pocket.

"When she was shot, she made a few decisions."

He took out a thick looking document, Olivia's stomach sinking to her shoes. Her suspicions were confirmed as she caught a glance of the title.

"It's a Will, isn't it?"

Stephen nodded.

"She wanted a few things to go to you."

Olivia felt a tremble go through her body. She couldn't do this. She grabbed at Peter's hand, needing something to keep her standing. He squeezed her hand and moved closer to her. She leaned against him slightly.

"Mr Farnsworth-"

"Stephen, please."

Olivia cleared her throat.

"Stephen, we have no need for that."

"Why?"

Olivia nodded towards Walter, who seemed frozen, his eyes on the papers in Stephen's hands.

"Because Walter has something that could help."

Stephen looked at Walter.

"Do you?"

Walter nodded slowly, finally finding the ability to speak again.

"I think so."

"What is it?"

"Hard to explain. And I don't think you want to know."

"Is it safe?"

Walter gave him a smile.

"We have nothing to lose at this point, do we?"

Stephen shook his head slowly. Walter carefully extracted the medical pouch from his pocket, sliding out the syringe. They all watched as he carefully slid the needle into Astrid's vein, releasing the fluid gradually.

"How long?"

Walter frowned.

"I'm not certain but if it does work, it should at least slow down the shutdown of her body."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I can't make any guarantees."

"Astrid has faith in you. And so do I."

Stephen pulled out three more envelopes from the inside of his jacket which lay across the back of his chair.

"Take these. Just in case."

He handed them to Olivia, who saw their names printed in Astrid's neat handwriting.

"Stephen-"

"Please just take them."

Olivia nodded. She glanced at Peter.

"I need some air."

She slipped from the room and made her way blindly down the halls and out the sliding doors, the cold air hitting her cheeks hard. She walked to the edge of the large parking lot, eased herself down onto the concrete edge and let herself go. Her body shook with sobs and she rested her head on her knees. She didn't want this, it wasn't meant to be like this. It was meant to end with all of them living their lives normally. They didn't go through everything they had just to lose Astrid now. Astrid deserved her happy ending too. She had Peter and the baby but what did Astrid have? Her job, her father and them. It wasn't enough of a trade off as far as Olivia was concerned. Astrid deserved everything that Olivia had. The cure had to work. With shaky hands, Olivia looked at the envelopes that she still had, extracting out her own. She opened it carefully, unfolding the paper.

**_Dear Olivia,_**

**_However it ended, I want you to know that this was far more than I ever expected. I thought that I would be nothing more than an agent. But when I was recruited to work with the Fringe division, that concept became something very foreign. I never knew that I was embarking on the greatest adventure of my life. _**

**_Please don't blame yourself. I know you. And right now, that's what you are doing. Feeling guilty and blaming yourself. But I chose to be on this adventure with you, Peter and Walter. I could have left at any point, I didn't need to stay but I did. And I have no regrets._**

**_Working with the Fringe division opened my eyes to so many things, whole other worlds that no one ever expected to see. I just wish sometimes that the world could know the work that we do. I guess this is what it is like being a superhero. You save the planet over and over again but you need to keep who you are and what you do a secret._**

**_I admire you, Olivia. I wish you could see what the rest of us do. You are one of the strongest people I know. Some of the things you have been through would destroy a normal person. But not you. You just stand up, dust yourself off and keep going. If your child has that kind of strength, then it will do fine in this crazy world. Between you and Peter, you have everything you need to make that child exceptional. Just like both of you._**

**_Don't be upset or sad. Just do what you do best. Dust yourself off and keep going. The world needs you. Even if you have to keep your identity a secret. The most important people know what you do and that's all that matters. _**

**_All my love,_**

**_Astrid._**

Olivia folded the letter before carefully placing it back in the envelope. She wished she hadn't read it. It made this all too real.

"Liv."

Peter's voice was soft and carefully as he approached her. He sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. She didn't have any tears left. She felt numb and cold.

"I read her letter."

Peter sighed and pulled her closer to him.

"Liv-"

"Don't tell me she will be fine. I don't want to hear it. I need to do something."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to find Dexter and Freelancer. And I want Freelancer to pay for this."

"Ok."

Olivia looked at Peter.

"I thought you would argue with me."

"Why would I? Right now, I want to do the same."

"Good. Because I am not standing aside for this."

Peter nodded.

"Fine. Let's go."

Olivia shook her head, leaning into his body.

"I just need a minute."

She felt Peter nod. He shifted and pulled her into his arms. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, waiting for the feeling to return to her body. It felt like shock but she knew that it wasn't. It was grief. Thick, black and suffocating.


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N - Hey guys...Thanks for all the feedback! This is to celebrate my baby neice and her first proper roll, all by herself. She gets stuck and hates being on her stomach but she's getting there!_

_So as always,_

_Read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Twenty-Seven – When Time Stands Still

Olivia knew she was dangerous when she got like this. She was angry and upset. But at least she had a target to set her sights on. It wasn't like many cases before where they were going in blind. She at least knew where to start. Walter had decided to stay with Astrid, wanting to monitor her progress. He was also able to keep an eye on Anderson too. Peter had remained silent as they had made their way home. She was grateful for that, she needed room to think. She unlocked the front door, barely pausing as she found the box with the trackers and receiver. She slipped them into her pockets and then took out her phone. She dialled quickly.

"Hello?"

Felicity sounded completely bored. Olivia wondered if she was outside having another smoke.

"Felicity, it's Agent Dunham."

"How did you get this number?"

"I'm the FBI, remember?"

Felicity sighed.

"Right. What do you want?"

"I need you to call Dexter."

"Why?"

"Because I have some questions for him."

"Did you try calling him yourself?"

"No answer."

Felicity chuckled.

"Sounds about right. He never answers his phone unless he knows the number."

Olivia put a hand to her tremble, resisting the urge to yell at the young woman. She took a deep breath and tried again.

"Felicity, I need you to call him and get him to the research centre."

"Why should I?"

Olivia lost her patience.

"Because if you don't I will have you arrested for the pot and for impeding a federal investigation. That means jail time."

Felicity sighed.

"Fine."

Olivia hung up the phone and looked at Peter.

"We need to get to the research centre."

* * *

They arrived ten minutes later and waited, Olivia's phone rang again.

"Dunham."

"It's Felicity. I called him. He said he's coming in soon."

"Good. Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever."

Felicity hung up on her this time and Peter offered Olivia a small smile.

"Big on bribery, aren't you?"

"It gets me what I need. It worked with you."

"Yeah but I'm a sucker for a pretty girl with guts."

"Good to know."

Olivia sunk further into the seat, her eyes on the centre. The silence was easy between them as they waited, slipping by effortlessly, each lost in their own thoughts .

"What did your letter say?"

Olivia stiffened.

"I don't want to talk about it."

She felt Peter shift beside her.

"Liv, you can't close me off. You're hurting."

"So are you."

"Yes but I don't mind telling you about it."

Olivia sighed.

"I need to process all of this. I need time. We'll talk after all of this, I promise."

"Ok. Just remember that I'm here when you need me."

"I know. And I love you for that."

She found his hand without taking her eyes of the centre. She didn't know why he stuck around. She threw up road block after road block but he simply knocked them down and kept pushing. She wondered what she had done in her life to deserve someone like him. Her breath hitched in her throat when a car finally pulled up in front of the centre. She watched as Dexter got out, his clothes rumpled and dirty. She waited until he got into the centre before handing Peter the tracker.

"Go. We don't know how much time we have."

Peter slipped out of the truck, keeping low. She watched as he carefully placed the tracker on the back of the car and then making his way back just as quickly. She handed him the receiver, which he licked on and smiled when they heard the soft, reassuring _bing_ as it connected with the tracker.

"Perfect. And now we wait."

They didn't have to wait long. Dexter came back outside and climbed into his car. But instead of driving away, he remained still. Olivia frowned wondering what he was up to. Then she saw the reason he was waiting. Felicity locked up the centre, glanced up the road before climbing into the car. Within a few moments, they were up the road and out of sight. Olivia kept her eyes on the receiver as the red dot pulsed steadily.

"Take the first right up here."

Peter nodded, flowing easily into the traffic. They remained as far back as they could, not wanting to make their presence known. For almost two hours, they simply drove weaving in and out of traffic. Neither of them had any idea where they were going. And Olivia pondered the wisdom of not bringing backup. She hadn't thought that far ahead. Soon the city disappeared, the country side taking over the apartments, street lights and sense of direction. They drove for another hour before the red pulse stilled as Dexter finally parked. It took another ten minutes before they arrived at his car. Olivia frowned as she looked around them. They were just outside a field. There were no houses to speak off, just the easy buzz of nature and not much else.

"Where the hell did they go?"

"No idea."

Olivia took out her gun and made sure that she had it fully loaded and ready to go. She watched as Peter did the same before they slipped from the truck. Olivia felt on high alert, turning towards every sound, aware of the emptiness of the space around them. They were completely alone. If anything went wrong, all she had was him and he her. They had been in this situation before and she never doubted Peter. She doubted the situation but never Peter. Wordlessly, they separated slightly and started to walk towards the field. The climbed the run down fence before continuing, slightly apart and completely silent. It was Olivia that noticed it first. She was half way through the field, Peter still firmly in her sights when she felt the slight give of the ground beneath her. Something wasn't right here. She frowned. Stepping back to feel the sink, she waved her arm at Peter, who came dashing over, leaning forward and whispering in his ear.

"The ground, it's uneven here."

Peter nodded and leaned over, pushing aside the dirt and grass. Surprisingly, it came off in one even strip. Olivia examined it closer and saw that it was fake grass, dyed to look like the surrounding foliage. Someone was trying very hard to not be found. With the fake grass gone, a small metal door now lay exposed.

"What do you think it is?"

"Bomb shelter. A really old school one. See how the metal is worn and aged?"

Peter found the small lever and pulled slowly. The metal shifted flawlessly and Olivia leaned closer, seeing nothing but a deep darkness. She could only see the first rung of the ladder before the blackness swallowed it. Peter glanced at the hole and then back at her.

"I'm going in first."

Olivia nodded and watched as Peter eased his way onto the ladder moved down, allowing the darkness to swallow him completely. Olivia waited a few more moments before doing the same. She couldn't see where she was going and swallowed a scream when she felt a hand on her ankle.

"It's me Liv."

His voice echoed, bouncing from wall to wall before coming back to them. They stood as still as they could, waiting to see if anything would happen. There was no light and no voices to indicate that they had been seen or heard. Olivia leaned in closer to Peter, her voice barely a whisper.

"Still think it's a bomb shelter?"

She felt Peter shrug.

"Modified but yes."

She moved her gun into her hand from the back of her pants where she had tucked it while making her way down the ladder. The darkness, thick and immense, just wasn't something your eyes could adjust too. Her other hand found Peter's and they moved slowly down the narrow entryway, their shoulder's bumping. She released Peter's hand, her fingers tracing the hard walls. That's when she realised that they were heading down a slope, one they didn't notice on the surface. And the further they walked, the tighter her stomach became. It was too quiet. The tiny hairs on her arms and on the back of her neck strained against the surface of her skin. The only reassurance in the darkness with Peter's steady breathing beside her and his body as it brushed her own.

"Look"

She couldn't see Peter point but she knew what he was looking at. Not too far in the distance was a square of light. It was a door, the light from inside breaking through the wooden gaps. She flicked off her safety and levelled it to the door as they made their way closer. Another hundred meters and they were in front of it. With a shaky hand, Olivia tested the door knob carefully. It was locked.

"Ok, plan B."

Peter's voice was soft in her ear.

"Knock it down?"

Before she could answer, a scream rattled around them. A blood curdling scream that made them both freeze. Within second there was another and there was no more time to think. Olivia shifted as she felt Peter moved back, gaining momentum before crashing through the door.


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N - I know, I am mean for leaving it like that...which means you will hate me by the end of this..._

_But it keeps you reading, right?_

_So.._

_Read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Twenty-Eight – There Is No Time In The World But This

Olivia blinked against the sudden blinding light. In the second that it took her eyes to adjust, she smelt blood, death, urine and faeces. Her stomach clenched but she ignored it. When her eyes were finally her own again, she saw the sea of blood, washing across the floor. She heard growling, savage and hard. She looked around and saw Freelancer struggling with Dexter. Except it wasn't Freelancer anymore. He was one of them. His mouth was close to Dexter's neck, attempting to get to the flesh there, grunting and growling as Dexter struggled to push him off. Olivia didn't think. She levelled her gun, took aim and fired. Freelancer froze as the bullet tore through his brain before slumping on top of Dexter. She took long enough to watch Dexter push Freelancer off before finally taking in the room. She found the source of the screams. She moved closer to the torn body of Felicity, her throat torn out, her face mangled and bitten. She still looked surprised, as if not quite believing what had happened to her. That's where the blood was coming from. Olivia moved around Felicity, back to Freelancer's body. He had the same marks on him as the man they had found at the park. He had been restrained. She leant over and pulled up his sleeve. The clear needle marks and bruising were there too. She watched as Dexter moved around Freelancer, crawling over Felicity's blood to get to her. Dexter pulled her close and started to rock, his voice broken.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I wanted to do this for you. It was all for you."

Olivia didn't stop Peter as he moved over to Dexter, dragging him up by the back of his shirt.

"What did you do?"

Dexter shook his head as he sobbed, not fighting Peter, his eyes still on the broken body of Felicity.

"I did this for her."

Peter shook him.

"What did you do?"

"I needed to make the B-serum work. It needed to work. For her. It was all for her."

Peter, disgusted and angry, released Dexter, who simply fell to the floor, before making his way back to Felicity's body. And for the first time, Olivia could hear it. A chorus of thumping and growling, coming from deeper in the room. She glanced at Peter before standing. She followed the sounds, passing a series of lab tables with bubbling liquids and an old dentist's chair. She didn't want to know what had gone on in that chair. She kept moving, Peter close behind her. She froze when the sounds got louder and she could finally see precisely what Dexter had been doing. There were cages, at least three dozen of them, lining the walls, each occupied by a person infected with the B-serum, each one a test subject. They banged against the cages, growling and trying to escape. She wondered how Dexter hand managed to find cages strong enough to handle the infected. She could see the evolution of the serum as well. A few had been chewing at themselves, chunks torn from their own flesh as they moved from anger to hunger.

"Fuck."

Olivia felt her legs shake at the concept of it all. These people, each and every single one of them would need the cure. If it was the cure. And that's only if they survived. She wondered how many bodies had been dumped when the hearts had given up the fight against the serum.

"Liv!'

She hadn't noticed the man closest to her. She hadn't noticed the gap in the cage. She hadn't noticed him reaching out to grab her. She felt the tug on her arm, fingernails tearing through her jacket and into her skin. She pulled with all her strength, but it simply yanked her closer.

"Olivia! No!"

She heard Peter's gun cock, felt the heat from the bullet as it travelled past her and into the head of the man. He collapsed and she was free, stumbling slightly. The pain was instant and all-consuming. It seared at every muscle in her body, making her body tingle unpleasantly. The room spun and she sunk to the floor, Peter catching her before her head hit the ground. She struggled to see Peter, everything was hazy.

"I'm fine. We need to get them help."

Peter shook his head.

"I don't give a fuck about them."

Peter lifted her up, helping her stand, his gun at the ready. She leaned against him as he dragged her back the way they came. Olivia wondered how the hell Astrid had dealt with her scratches. Because her arm hut like hell. She felt dizzy and weak. Baby Bishop was shifting inside her and she felt a stab of fear. What if the baby became infected? She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. She didn't care if she died but her baby had to live. Peter lowered her into a chair and focused his anger on Dexter again. Dexter hadn't moved from his spot next to Felicity, his face buried in her hair. Peter yanked him up again, pressing the gun to his forehead.

"What the fuck have you done? Did you find it? Did you find the cure?"

Dexter shook his head. Olivia frowned as she realized the man that had braved the equivalent of zombies was pissing himself at the presence of a gun. It seemed ridiculous. She felt a slight tickle moving down her arm and she watched as her blood came out of her sleeve, dripping from her fingers. She didn't want to think how deep they were if they were producing that much blood. She watched as Peter tied Dexter to an old pipe with a slim piece of rubber. He pointed the gun at Dexter again.

"Did you give any of the B-serum to Felicity?"

Dexter frowned and shook his head but Peter still frowned and eyed the body anyway. He clearly decided it wasn't worth the risk and lowered his gun, putting a bullet into Felicity's brain. Dexter screamed in protest but Peter ignored it, pointing his gun back at Dexter.

"You're staying here while we get help. And I hope one of those guys down there gets out and comes after you."

Dexter said nothing, his eyes on Felicity. Peter tucked his gun down the back of his pants and pulled Olivia from her seat. Slowly, they made their way back out of the bomb shelter, inch by painful inch. By the time they made their way to the top of the ladder, Olivia had broken out into a cold sweat. She wasn't sure how much of it was from the infection and how much of it was from fear but she could taste the salt on the top of her lip. Peter all but carried her back to the truck, placing her carefully in the seat before finding his phone and calling for help. Olivia only half listened to the conversation, Peter's urgent voice breaking through the fog. Phone call done, Peter started to take off her jacket. She winced as he gently pulled up the sleeve of her thin shirt, exposing her wounds. Three deep cuts tracing up her arm made Peter swear under his breath, If Olivia looked closely, she could see the muscles there, things that were never meant to be seen with the naked eye. She leaned her head against the headrest as Peter moved to the back of the truck to get the first aid kit.

"Liv, this is going to hurt."

She watched, gritting her teeth as Peter took out the bottle of alcohol, undoing the top. He hesitated above her wound.

"Peter, just do it."

He nodded, took a deep breath and tipped the clear fluid on her arm. She had been wrong. The scratches and the pain was nothing compared to this. She saw flashes of light behind her lids and she couldn't help the scream that was torn from her throat, the sound being claimed by the immense space around them. She started to cry as Peter repeated the process, before neatly bandaging her wound. The pain made her dizzy and she leaned out of the truck, her stomach clenching as she vomited. Peter held back her hair and when she was done, pressed something cold against her forehead. When he swore again, she opened one eye to see him looking at the vomit.

"What?"

He glanced at her, his face in a grim line.

"Nothing. Everything is fine. Help is going to be here soon."

"Peter, what's wrong?"

He glanced down at the vomit again.

"You vomited up some blood."

"Oh."

Peter moved closer to her, his hand resting on the cold compress on her forehead.

"He was experimenting right? So that means the one who attacked you-"

"Could be infected with something more than the B-serum."

Peter sighed.

"Yes."

Olivia nodded slightly.

"Ok."

She had seen what the B-serum had done to Astrid. With something else mixed with it, who knew what it would do to her?

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Save the baby. Promise me that whatever happens you will save our baby."

Peter growled low in his chest.

"We will fix this."

Olivia opened her eyes and looked at Peter. She drunk in the features that she knew better than her own. He was scared, she was too but she wanted him to know, he had to know what she wanted if anything went wrong.

"Peter, you need to promise."

Peter nodded slightly, swallowing hard.

"I promise."

"Good."

Peter moved from her side and climbed into the driver's seat. She adjusted herself so she was laying down, her head on his lap.

"Do you remember our honeymoon?"

Peter chuckled as he played with her hair.

"Yeah of course I do."

"Do you remember that dolphin trying to attack you?"

"How could I forget that? I thought you were going to have a heart attack you were laughing so hard."

Olivia smiled.

"I know. But it was hilarious."

"I found out later that male dolphins often try to hump humans."

"One of the few times we actually get out of our hotel room and you get attacked by a dolphin. I'm never letting you forget that."

"Just as long as you don't advertise it, that's fine."

Olivia laughed.

"Deal."

A series of coughs shook her body and she rolled over slightly. It took her a second to catch her breath before she realised she could taste copper. She scrapped the side of her mouth with her finger, and looked at it, fear clutching at her chest. There, bright and fresh, was blood. She was coughing up blood.

"Peter."

She showed Peter her hand and he pulled her closer.

"It's ok, Liv."

She decided to believe his lie and closed her eyes as Peter started talking. She focused on his voice as he talked about their honeymoon again. How they had gotten incredibly drunk on the tropical drinks that didn't taste like alcohol at all. How mad Walter had gotten when they refused to answer his calls, happy to remain in their little bubble for a while longer. How they spent the first two days never leaving their bed and ordering room service and movies. How they had gone snorkelling. How she had gotten a bad sunburn that didn't even produce a tan. How they made love on the beach with the sun settling softly behind them. How they ate so much that they could barely move. All the memories that Olivia would treasure for the rest of her life. Olivia felt the sleepiness nipping at the edges of her brain. She tried to fight it but it was hard when all she wanted to do was sleep and forget the pain that was still raging within her. She focused instead on the sirens that she could hear in the distance. She focused on Peter's voice, the smooth rhythm that she loved so much. She felt him shift beneath her as he waved down the ambulance. She could hear other cars too, distinguishing the sounds as they all came to a stop close to them. She couldn't open her eyes anymore, they were too heavy. Her entire body felt as if it was weighed down by an invisible force.

"Walter, hurry."

Walter's hands were warm and gentle as he examined her arm. He apologized when she winced.

"Sorry dear. We need to get you in the ambulance. Can you open your eyes for me?"

She shook her head, wanting to curl away from the pain in her body and back towards Peter's voice, to the sweet memories. Walter's hand was soft on her face as he gently opened her eye lid, releasing it just as quickly.

"Her eyes haven't changed."

"It's not just the B-serum Walter. It's something else. This is moving too fast. And look."

She knew what he was doing, pointing out the vomit that she had released onto the grass. She could almost hear Walter frown. The pain was still there, biting at the edges of her need to sleep. Peter carefully helped her sit up and she was overcome with the dizziness again but her stomach remained in place. She forced her eyes open, barely taking in the wave of faces. She didn't walk, getting carried between Walter and Peter. They made it to the ambulance and they placed her carefully onto the stretcher. She watched as Walter withdrew a needle from his pocket and positioned it just above the scratches in her arm.

"Walter, will it hurt the baby?"

Walter glanced at Peter.

"I don't think so. But we need to slow this down."

"I know. Walter?"

"Yes dear."

It took more effort than it should have to lift her arm and capture Walter's hand in her own. He was hazy too, his shape buzzing and moving oddly.

"Make sure Peter keeps his promise."

Walter frowned.

"What promise?"

"To save the baby. No matter what happens, he has to save our baby."

Walter nodded and she closed her eyes again. She felt the needle slip into her vein, and the cool fluid lacing through her system. Soon the sleepiness was no longer nipping at her. Instead, it consumed her entirely and the world, along with the pain, faded away.


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N__ – Hey guys – I didn't want to leave you hanging too long. And I also wanted to say, in my defence, that Olivia getting infected was not part of the plan. It just kind of happened and it made the perfect illustration of the point that Broyles has been trying to get across the entire time – Being out in the field isn't safe for her anymore. _

_So, I did my research for this one too. The solution is frowned upon because of the risks but that's what Walter does best right? He takes the risks that everyone else is far too terrified to take._

_So, as always…_

_Read, enjoy and review_

Chapter Twenty-Nine – The Man Who Sold The World

Peter felt helpless as Walter looked after Olivia, who drifted to sleep easily under the influence of a powerful sedative. He wanted her to be ok but the reality was far worse than any of them expected to be. Peter was angry at himself for letting this happen. She should have never been with him. He should have been faster than he had been.

"Peter."

Walter voice seemed far away, as if from a distant corner. Walter shook him slightly.

"Peter, you need to listen."

Peter pulled himself from his thoughts and looked at Walter.

"What?"

"We don't have much time. We need to get her to the hospital."

Peter glanced at Olivia. She was still sweating and as if on cue, her body started to shake , her hands curling into fists.

"What can we do Walter?"

"We will fix this. I don't plan to lose my daughter-in-law and my grandchild."

Peter glanced back towards the old bomb shelter, watching as the cops dragged Dexter from his hiding place. He was covered in blood, still sobbing, struggling against the cops and the handcuffs.

"Peter, I know what you're thinking. That won't help."

Peter tore his eyes from Dexter, looking back at Walter.

"What are we going to do?"

Walter offered her a small smile.

"We take it one step at a time. Otherwise-"

"You'll fall flat on your face. I know."

Walter nodded and with careful movements, started putting the restraints on Olivia. Peter glanced at Dexter as they pushed him into the police car.

"I need to talk to Dexter."

Walter nodded.

"I need to figure something out. We don't have much time."

Peter leaned over, pressing a kiss to Olivia's forehead before resting his hand on her stomach. Before he could regret leaving her, he climbed out of the ambulance, knowing that Walter would not leave her side. Peter slipped into the police car next to Dexter, instructing the officer behind the wheel to take them to the FBI facility. He said nothing more during the drive, focusing on the scenery moving past them. When they got to the office, Peter pulled Dexter from the car, thanked the officer's and led him deep into the bowels of the building. Thanks to all the time with Olivia, no one questioned him, most remembered him from the other times he had been in and out of the building. Peter kept Dexter moving, tugging him into a small room and dropping him into a chair. He closed the door behind them and took the seat across from him.

"So, I think you have a story to tell me."

Dexter raised his eyes to look at Peter.

"I did it for Felicity."

"Why?"

Dexter sighed.

"Freelancer was taking advantage of her. She was nothing for him. The B-serum was a chance for the world to see what she could do."

Peter sat back.

"She was working with Freelancer. Wouldn't her name be attached to the work?"

Dexter shook his head.

"No. Freelancer could say what he wanted and there was nothing that Felicity could do."

"So, start from the beginning."

Dexter shrugged.

"Nothing to tell. Freelancer failed and I tried to correct it."

"Was it you who took Freelancer?"

"Yes."

"And you injected him with the B-serum?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Dexter shrugged, not seeming to care what the results of his little experiment. He had killed people, including the woman he claimed to love.

"To prove a point I guess. He needed to see."

"And the others?"

Dexter frowned.

"I called a meeting and took all those that I could. I drugged them, took them to the bomb shelter and started working on them. I needed to fix the problem of the B-serum."

Peter clenched his fists on his lap, resisting the urge to throttle Dexter.

"The man that attacked my wife – "

"Subject 73390."

Peter paused before continuing.

"What was he infected with?"

"I advanced the B-serum to see if expanding the evolution of it would increase the chance of finding a way to make it a success."

"So you just made it bigger and stronger?"

"In a way, yes."

"What happened to Felicity?"

Dexter flinched, his eyes dropping closed.

"She called me to come to the research centre but I was coming to see her anyway. I wanted to show her what I was doing. When she got there, she seemed excited and then she saw Freelancer. She freaked out, pushed me aside and let Freelancer out."

"We arrived too late."

"I was too slow to save her. She didn't let me explain. And now I can't. I couldn't find a way to fix it."

"We found a cure."

Dexter frowned, his eyes flashing.

"The intention was not a cure. The intention was for B-serum to make brain disease a thing of the past."

"All it did was destroy lives."

"Sacrifice is acceptable in regards to scientific pursuit."

Peter felt the anger flow through him, heating every part of his body. He stood and moved quickly around the table grabbing Dexter by his throat, squeezing it. He took pleasure in the fear and pain that flashed over Dexter's face. He took pleasure in preventing his ability to breathe.

"Bishop, drop him."

He hadn't heard Broyles come into the room. He ignored him and kept squeezing. He heard footsteps and then Broyles hand was heavy on Peter's shoulder.

"I'll take care of this Peter. Go and be with Olivia."

Olivia's name melted the anger away and Peter released Dexter, turning on his heel and leaving the room, Broyles following closely behind.

"Peter, you can't lose it."

Peter didn't comment as he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

"Olivia needs you."

"I needed answers."

"And now you have them."

Peter looked through the glass, looking at Dexter. It took him a moment to realize something was wrong. He was twitching. Just as the thought crossed Peter's mind, white foam started making its way out of Dexter's mouth and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he collapsed. Peter moved first, Broyles close behind. But there was nothing that could be done. Dexter twitched and then with a shuddering breath, he was gone. Peter remembered the few moments when he was left alone with Felicity, if he had the chance to slip himself something, either because he knew he was caught or because of Felicity's death. Peter rolled him over and yanked at his sleeves, searching for an entry point. He found it, just slightly up from the narrow veins of the wrist. He sat back on his heels, watching as the foam slid down to the floor from Dexter's mouth. Now there was one less monster in the world. It also meant that every person who knew anything about the B-serum was dead.

* * *

When he arrived at the hospital, he was surprised to see Nina Sharp pacing the hall in small, even steps. She paused, looking up with a frown.

"Walter called me from the ambulance. I called Rachel and let her know too."

Peter nodded, his hands in his pockets. Peter and Nina had never really been alone. And this was the worse time for it. Because none of the thoughts in Peter's head were straight and the only thing he could think about were Olivia and the baby.

"Walter thinks he knows what to do."

Peter said nothing letting Nina talk.

"But then he banished me from the room, told me to keep an eye out for Rachel. He said you needed to go in and see him. She's in room 54."

Peter nodded again and moved around Nina, pausing when her hand rested on his arm.

"She's a fighter Peter."

"I know she is."

With that, he kept walking, slipping into the room. He paused as he took in the sight that greeted him. Walter stood over Olivia, goggles on, his face pulled into a frown as he stared down at her exposed stomach. Peter gritted his teeth and moved deeper into the room, kicking the door closed.

"Walter, what are you doing?"

Walter glanced up at him.

"The Cortexiphan was still in her system when the baby was conceived, correct?"

Peter nodded. He and Olivia had already done the math. Olivia was scared that the baby would come out with some sort of super power or something.

"Well, my theory is that the Cortexiphan will still be in the baby's system."

Peter had a sinking feeling.

"Walter, what are you talking about?"

"It's risky."

Peter's voice had a hard edge to it as he questioned him again.

"What is it Walter?"

Walter sighed and took off the goggles.

"Umbilical cord blood."

Peter stepped closer, glancing at Olivia. He hadn't been gone that long but there was already machine breathing for her and across her stomach was a heart monitor for the baby, the soft bleeping reassuring and steady. But who knew how long that would last for?

"You want to cut her open?"

Walter nodded.

"It's risky but you need to understand that the stem cells from the umbilical cord are the safest, quickest and best option for Olivia. She's going downhill fast, Peter. Normal stem cells won't be enough. She needs the stem cells and the Cortexiphan that is in the child's system."

"The baby-"

"Is safe. If this is done correctly."

Peter looked at Olivia again.

"Can you do this, Walter?"

Walter rubbed his hands together.

"I believe so, yes."

"That does not help."

Walter moved around Olivia, coming to stand in front of Peter, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"Peter, look at me."

Peter swallowed hard. The concept, the very idea of cutting Olivia open, of violating their baby like that made him feel horrendous.

"Son, look at me."

Peter raised his eyes and looked at Walter. Walter spoke softly.

"We made a promise to keep the baby safe. The only way to do that is to fix Olivia."

"I know."

"You need to trust me."

"Ok."

"I need your help. Normally Astro would be here-"

Walter shook his head as he moved around Olivia. Peter could imagine the pain that this was bringing Walter. First Astrid, then Olivia and now this. Peter took a deep breath, not quiet believing what they were about to do. Instead of thinking about it, he decided to take it one step at a time, just as Walter had said. He shrugged off his jacket, putting his gun with it on the chair. He rolled up his sleeves.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Lock the door."

Peter paused.

"We're doing it here?"

Walter sighed.

"Do you really see a doctor accepting this kind of surgery? Let alone _why_ it needs to be done?"

"Good point."

Peter locked the door and watched as Walter went to the small sink and started cleaning his hands. Peter took off the baby's heart monitor, pausing to stroke the soft skin, smiling when the baby kicked against his hand. When Walter finished scrubbing, Peter did the same before they both slipped on latex gloves and goggles. Walter carefully scrubbed down Olivia's stomach with iodine before lifting the scalpel, his eyes meeting Peter's.

"Ready?"

"Is Olivia going to be in any pain?"

"No. She has enough sedatives in her to make it painless."

Peter nodded and watched as Walter lowered the scalpel and in one deft movement, sliced open Olivia's stomach. Peter was on automatic as he cleaned off excess blood, watching as Walter moved aside the thin layer of muscle and fat before finally getting to the baby. Peter could barely breathe. He watched as Walter gently moved things aside and found what he was looking for. He carefully slipped a needle into the grey, thick cord and withdrew fluid. Walter offered him a soft smile.

"Move closer. You can see the baby."

Peter did as he was told, leaning forward slightly. He could see the soft shape of an arm and foot, tiny toes and minuscule fingers. He could hardly believe that something could be that small. Moving closer still, he could see her face now, perfect little nose and round cheeks.

"She's stunning, isn't she?"

Peter gasped.

"Did you say she?"

Walter frowned.

"I'm sorry. I noticed earlier. I'm so sorry son."

Peter shook his head, swallowing back tears.

"Don't be sorry. We have a daughter. You have a granddaughter."

Peter watched with a slightly sad feeling as Walter started to stitch things back up.

"I'll see you in a few months, my beautiful girl."

Peter helped Walter to pull Olivia back together again, making sure the little one was safe once again in her little cocoon. Peter watched as Walter hesitated for a moment before lowering the needle into Olivia's neck and releasing the magical stem cells. Peter stood back, watching Olivia, convinced that something would happen. But nothing did. He frowned and looked at Walter.

"Now what?"

"Now we wait."


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N__ – Hey guys! I am so glad that you guys loved that chapter! There are two more chapters left after this one. I wanted to end it with something that happened earlier on that got lost in the excitement. Thanks for reading again guys! This story is the most epic in my collection, shattering all my previous review counts and collecting a few new followers!_

_The procedure from the last chapter gave me a chance to give some of you what you wanted in the first place – for little Etta to be part of the story. It was a glance but it had to be enough. And I am glad to see that you were all happy with it._

_So read, enjoy and review people!_

Chapter Thirty - When I Dream Of Us

For the next few days, Peter didn't allow himself to hope. It would cost him too much if everything changed for the worse. He feigned bravery when Rachel came to the hospital, bursting into tears as she saw her sister. Peter had given her a hug and faked his whole way through the visit. And when darkness fell and it was just the three of them again, he would pass the night away talking softly to Olivia and he baby, telling them all the things they would do when they were well. He kept reminding Olivia to fight and what she was fighting for. He knew what waited for them if the B-serum invaded her body completely. Siting in the corridor outside of the room was a tiny incubator, a symbol for all that could happen. If Olivia's heart stopped, Peter knew that if all hope was lost, their tiny daughter will be cut from her mother and put into the incubator. Walter had reassured him that if it happened that way, the baby still could survive. But every time Peter entered the room, he avoided looking at the incubator. He ignored the tiny voice in his mind that questioned what he would do without Olivia. Olivia was the strong one. Olivia was the one that allowed him to remember why he had stayed in one place all those years ago. She was the reason he came back from whatever limbo he had been stuck in. She was what kept him tethered to this life. She was the one that had given him his father back. She was the one that thought nothing of sacrificing herself for the greater good. She thought nothing of sacrificing for him. With her, he could do anything. So Peter simply functioned, spending his days faking bravery and his nights reminding his wife why she was fighting and encouraging his daughter to keep battling too. The only things that managed to make him smile was the fact that Astrid got better and so did Anderson. Both of them made recoveries that boosted Walter confidence that he made the right choice for Olivia and for the other trial subjects that had survived. One by one they got better while Olivia remained unconscious and Peter swallowed the bitter feeling, refusing to be angered that they could keep living while Olivia and their daughter were still at risk.

* * *

The first thing that Olivia noticed was how dry her throat felt. She swallowed a few times, trying to ease it. She opened her eyes, blinking against the soft light. Where was she? And then it all came tumbling back. Freelancer, Astrid, Felicity and Dexter. The bomb shelter, the man who attacked her. The baby. Jesus, the baby. She felt her stomach frantically, her heart easing it's frantic pounding when she felt the reassuring solidness of the baby still tucked within her. She frowned as her fingers found a neat row of stitches.

"Trust you to wake up when I leave for five minutes."

Peter didn't sound upset and she was too scared to shift in the bed any more than she already had. When Peter was leaning over her, he gave her a soft smile.

"Hey gorgeous. Welcome back."

Olivia blinked.

"How long?"

Peter stroked her face.

"It's been a week. But we fixed you. She fixed you."

Olivia frowned.

"She?"

Peter didn't answer her and it took Olivia a moment to put the pieces together.

"We're having a daughter?"

Peter nodded and smiled.

"I saw her. She looks like you."

The image of the future that Olivia had always pictured with their child changed. It was always a blurry outline but now, she could see a little girl with her father's dark hair, beautiful smile and sparkly eyes.

"How?"

Peter shook his head.

"There is plenty of time for that."

Peter gently raised the head of her bed and Olivia fought the wave of dizziness, blinking as the world shifted back into focus.

"First, you need to drink something."

He offered her some water, which she drunk easily. After three glasses, the dryness in her throat eased, she pushed for answers again.

"What happened with Astrid and Anderson?"

Peter sat down, took her hand and started talking. He paused occasionally to press a kiss to her knuckles and touch her stomach, as if to reassure himself that they were both there, safe and sound. One by one, the questions she had were answered. Anderson and Astrid were fine but the trial subjects were not so lucky. Half of them died before they could be given any help. The few that were lucky enough to get the medical attention in time had to deal with what happened. Walter wasn't certain if the memories would ever return, and even if they did, few would be able to handle what had happened to them. When Peter eventually stopped talking, she only had one question left.

"How did the baby….how did she save me?"

Peter touched her stomach again.

"Because our little girl is special. Walter thought that she might have Cortexiphan in her system, considering you might have when she was conceived. So we collected some of the umbilical cord blood and gave it to you."

Olivia traced the line of stitches.

"You cut me open?"

"Yes. I made a promise to save her and as Walter pointed out, that meant saving you. Walter and our little girl are the real heroes in this story."

Everything that had happened combined with the hormones that still raged through her body all hit at once. Olivia started to cry, tears of relief and fear tracking down her cheeks. She was alive, the baby, their daughter, was alive. And Astrid, beautiful Astrid was still with them too. Peter looked concerned.

"Why are you crying?"

"Everything. Just…everything."

Peter chuckled.

"Hey, there's no need for that. She's safe, you're safe and so is Astrid. We're all ok."

Olivia shifted across the bed slightly and Peter climbed on next to her and she curled into him, not caring that there was barely any room for them on the bed. She needed him there. She didn't think that she would ever wake up when Walter had given her the sedative. She didn't think she would see Peter again or see their child. Their daughter. Eventually, the sobs eased and her eyes got heavy again. She had been sleeping a week and yet found herself needing more. She closed her eyes, breathing Peter in as sleep claimed her once more.

* * *

When she woke up this time, it wasn't to silence. The soft chatter were voices that she would recognise anywhere.

"Can't a girl get some sleep in peace?"

She shifted in the bed and Peter arrived at her side, bringing up the back of her bed again. He gave her a soft kiss before stepping back. Walter came over, a wide smile on his face.

"Welcome back, my dear."

"Hey Walter."

Walter's smiled widened and Olivia wondered if he had expected her to be mad about what he and Peter had done. Now that he moved closer, she could see that slight glimpse of fear.

"Walter?"

"Yes?"

She held out her hand and Walter took it, his touch careful and gentle. She squeezed his hand.

"Thank you. For saving her."

Walter sniffed and wiped the corner of his eye.

"I thought you would be furious with me."

"Why?"

"I didn't know if it would work. I didn't know if I could save either of you. What I did-"

"Saved us. And you have no idea how grateful I am. With a grandfather like you, my daughter is going to be truly blessed."

Walter nodded, clearing his throat. He paused to wipe the corner of his eyes, before straightening and becoming serious again.

"Very well. Now, I do need to check your stitches before your special guest comes in."

Olivia glanced at Peter.

"There's a special guest?"

Peter just smiled. Olivia watched as Walter pushed aside her hospital gown and gently examined the stitches. They were nowhere near as bad as she thought they would be. They had cut her open and all she had to show for it were seven neat stitches.

"Now my dear, I used dissolvable stitches on the inside so there may be some spotting. If it continues beyond twenty-four hours, we'll need to get you checked as soon as possible."

"Ok."

Walter stepped aside slightly and Olivia could see the baby monitor that he had bought in with him.

"Now this might be cold."

Olivia smiled as he put the cool gel on her stomach before flicking on the screen. There she was again, the perfect little person that was growing inside her. She could see what Peter swore he saw too. The tiny outline of the nose, cheeks, fingers and toes.

"She's going to be beautiful, isn't she?"

Walter sniffed again, his eyes locked on his granddaughter.

"She already is. I hope you don't mind, but I did some other tests."

Peter frowned. Looks like this was new information to him too.

"What tests?"

Walter stood back with a sigh, flicking off the monitor.

"I extracted extra blood from the umbilical cord and then some blood from you, Olivia. I ran a series of genetic tests while Olivia was recovering."

"And?"

Olivia felt her body tense as Walter paused.

"Nothing. She is absolutely healthy. As are you Olivia, despite your ordeal."

"Great."

Peter smiled as he wiped the gel off Olivia's stomach before pulling her gown across and pulling her blankets back up.

"Right. Now that we have all that sorted, let's bring in your special guest, shall we?"

Olivia nodded, not knowing what to expect. She should not have been surprised to see the person that was wheeled into the room. Astrid still looked a little weak but she was alive. And smiling as her father pushed her into the room.

"Astrid!"

Once she was close enough, Olivia grabbed Astrid's hand.

"It's so good to see you! How are you?"

Astrid nodded, her grip tight on Olivia's hand.

"I'm fine. Tired and a little sore but fine. Heard you guys kicked ass without me."

Olivia smiled.

"It was harder without you but we got there."

"Good. How is the baby?"

Olivia glanced at Peter and it was clear that nothing had gone beyond the three of them.

"We're having a girl."

Another bright smile spread across Astrid's face.

"That's fantastic!"

They chatted a little while longer before Stephen ushered Astrid out of the room, claiming that she needed more rest. Walter went with them and Olivia and Peter were alone again.

"You never told me what happened to Dexter."

"You are a sucker for punishment, aren't you?"

Olivia waited as he settled himself in the chair again. He took her hand, sighed and started talking.

"He killed himself."

Olivia wasn't surprised by Dexter death. He had stalked and had been part of Felicity's life for years. Perhaps his mind could not comprehend a time without her.

"How?"

Peter shook his head.

"Not sure. He was alone with her while we were checking the rest of the place out. His body got passed onto the normal coroner so we may not find out for a while."

"It wasn't the outcome that we expected, was it?"

Peter sighed.

"It was never going to be. But I got to interview him before he died."

"What did he say?"

"Not much. He didn't care that he had put all those people through the experiments. He said that sacrifice was to be expected. He also didn't seem to care that a cure was located. He just wanted to make the B-serum work."

"But he never did. All that death for nothing."

Peter pushed some hair off her face.

"It's over Liv."

"I know. I just wish we had a better result."

"I know. But you can't have it both ways, can you?"

Peter gave her a soft kiss before standing.

"I had better make sure that Walter has a way home. I'll be back soon."

Olivia kept his hand as hers.

"Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Peter smiled and leaned forward, kissing her again, this time deeper and more completely. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment.

"I love you too, Mrs Bishop."

Olivia watched him walk out of the room, a small smile on her face. Her family was safe and sound. They had somehow made it through this mess, relatively clean and alive on the other side. She closed her eyes and was about to go to sleep when there was a soft knock. Broyles stood in the doorway, a small bunch of daisies in his hand.

"You busy?"

Olivia smiled.

"Extremely. Come in."

Broyles came deeper into the room, handing her the daises.

"Thank you."

Broyles took the seat that Peter had vacated, leaning back and crossing his ankles.

"Has Nina Sharp come to see you yet?"

Olivia shook her head, frowning slightly.

"No. Why?"

"Well I just went to see that Anderson kid. I wanted to explain that everything he had seen and experienced needed to remain quiet."

"That's a big ask."

"That's what I thought. But then he told me that Nina had been to see him and made a deal."

Olivia shifted in the bed.

"Really?"

Broyles nodded.

"Apparently, she offered to support his education and get better housing for Anderson and his mother. She also offered him a position at Massive Dynamic."

"Doing what?"

"Nothing special, just in the mail room. But it is still pretty incredible."

"She's full of surprises, that woman."

"That she is."

It comforted Olivia to know that Anderson had a chance at a safer life. She had been thinking about doing something for Anderson once she was better but Nina had bet her to it. Olivia knew that Nina felt like she had something to prove when it came to Olivia, even though it was unspoken, it was still definitely there. And helping Anderson was above and beyond what she should have done.

"So I gave my report to my bosses."

Olivia rolled her eyes.

"How much trouble am I in?"

"Well, they definitely want you behind a desk. But I explained that if we put you behind the desk, we would be wasting your talent and skill."

"As well as testing my sanity."

"Precisely. You have a lot of leave owed to you, Dunham and that's not including maternity. So, I am putting you off duty for two weeks. Get some rest and go from there. After that, we will sort something out."

"So no desk duty?"

"You getting hurt kind of proves why I wanted you out of the field in the first place. But I also know that you are a valuable agent. And I really don't see many agents dealing with Walter and your husband. That's a bit too much Bishop for a normal person."

Olivia laughed.

"I'll give you that one. They can be a handful."

Broyles stood, straightening his jacket.

"Just get some rest and we will talk more in a couple of weeks."

"Ok. And thanks for the daises. They're beautiful."

Broyles cracked a rare smile.

"You're welcome."

Olivia settled herself back under the covers as Broyles left the room. She tickled the side of her stomach, feeling her daughter move, smiling at the kick beneath her hand.


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N__ – Hey guys, This one goes out to S.A Fringie again. She was the one who came up with the idea of adding in a little bit of Nina and I ran with it the best I could. I hope that this fits with what you all imagined would come from the relationship with Nina and Olivia. _

_And once again, you guys rock….Just one more chapter to go after this one.._

_And yes, I added a little sexy...all things considered, I thought that they deserved it!_

_So read, enjoy and review!_

_P.S - To Julie47...I can't PM you for some reason, so I just wanted to add this for you. The stories to me with generally a beginning and an end. Sometimes a focus is I want to stick someone in the middle of a situation. Mostly, they come out of the blue...some of the best ones do. Or a conversation with start me thinking. Which is how it worked with this one. A debate between my sister and I about zombies started this for me..._

Chapter Thirty-One - The End Of The Time Between

After nearly two weeks in hospital, Olivia was finally allowed to go home. And funnily enough, despite all that she had been through both physically and mentally, she felt good. When she had stepped through the threshold of her home, the first thing she noticed was the smell of paint. She glanced at Peter, who offered her a wide grin.

"We have a surprise for you."

He took her hand and led her upstairs and then told her to close her eyes. He gently guided her by the shoulders.

"Ok, open them up."

Olivia opened her eyes slightly, unsure of what she would find. The unisex nursery was a thing of the past. The cool yellow and lime remained; this time joined by a soft pink that left no doubt about the sex of the baby. More toys lined the walls, including a huge, stiffed dog, dressed with a bright pink bow. She moved deeper into the room, pulling open the small closet. Hanging in a neat row, were small dresses, skirts and tops, all in varying shades of pink, orange and green.

"Whoa."

"Yeah, it was mostly Walter and Astrid. I came home the other night to find them in here painting."

"It's beautiful."

Peter wrapped his arms around her, kissing her ear.

"It is, isn't it? You're not upset are you?"

"About what?"

"About finding out the sex of the baby. I couldn't keep it from you."

Olivia shook her head.

"No. Never. It makes things a little easier. Now we just need to think of a name."

"Well, we have Elizabeth for the middle name."

"I honestly can't think of a first name I like."

"We'll think of something."

Olivia rubbed her hand across Peter's.

"You ready for your night with Walter?"

"I would rather be home with you."

"I know but it gives me and Nina a chance to catch up properly."

"Are you going to be ok?"

Olivia nodded, turning in his embrace, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him close.

"Of course."

Olivia pressed forward even more, capturing Peter's lips with her own. He moaned as the kiss deepened. He broke off the kiss for a moment, his lips tracing her mouth as he spoke, his breath hot on her skin.

"Liv, are you sure?"

That feeling was back again. That need for him to kiss him, to touch him, to claim him as her own. She didn't answer, tugging at his clothes instead. He claimed her lips again and they slowly made their way into their room, clothes being discarded as they went. She should have felt awkward; it had been the way she had been feeling for months. But something had changed. Knowing that if she had died, she would have missed her chance to touch him one last time left a bitter taste in her throat. She all but tore his clothes off and pushed him onto the bed. There was nothing gentle in their actions now. Fear, relief, desperation and hunger were in every kiss and every touch. When their bodies were pressed together like this, they moved above the world, into a bubble that was all their own. When the world came into focus again, Peter pulled her close, his kisses gentle again, as he traced the line from her jaw to her throat. It didn't take long for the hunger to come again, only this time, they moved slowly and gently, rediscovering each other in the midst of what the case had almost cost them.

* * *

Olivia was still smiling a few hours later as she made dinner for her and Nina. Two hours in bed with Peter would do that to a girl. She had settled on a lamb roast, with roast potatoes, grilled asparagus, carrots and cauliflower. Peter had done a big shop before she had gotten home and she had plenty to choose from. She made a simple gravy, warming the plates in the oven. She cracked open one of the non-alcoholic beers that Peter had gotten her, sipping as she set up the breakfast bar. It seemed silly for just the two of them to be in the large dining room. Dinner was almost ready when the doorbell rang. Olivia took one last glance around the kitchen before going to the front door and opening it. Nina was dressed in her normal dark attire, a bottle of red wine in one hand and a smile on her face.

"Welcome home."

Olivia ushered her inside.

"Thank you. It's nice to be home. Come in, dinner's almost ready."

Nina followed her back into the kitchen, taking off her jacket and gloves.

"Do you need me to do anything?"

"No. I have it covered."

She took the wine from Nina, pouring her a glass before getting out the plates.

"How are you?"

"Fine. Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Olivia smiled.

"I'm good. Peter's not happy about being banished but he promised Walter a night of poker."

"That's dangerous. Walter is surprisingly good at that game."

"Well, Peter has a habit of counting cards so it could be interesting."

Nina chuckled as she sipped her wine. Olivia finally took the lamb out of the oven, carving it and serving up the vegetables.

"Here we go. Nothing fancy I'm afraid, my culinary skills are limited."

"This is perfect. I haven't had a roast dinner in a long time."

Olivia quickly put aside a plate for Peter, tucking it back into the oven before settling down to eat. For a while it was silent as they ate, Olivia unsure of where to start. It wasn't until halfway through the meal that she spoke again.

"I heard what you did for Anderson."

Nina shrugged.

"It's not a big deal."

"Yes it is. You didn't have to do that."

Nina put down her fork.

"He's a smart kid. He just needed a hand."

Olivia sipped her beer.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because he impressed me. So did his mother. It takes courage to go into the Fringe world and not come out damaged from the experience."

Olivia nodded.

"Broyles said that you were offering to back him for school too."

"He wants to be a lawyer but does not have the money for college. You can never have too many lawyers backing you in my experience."

"Well, it's incredible for Anderson."

Nina shrugged off the compliment.

"I like to make a difference where I can."

Olivia sipped at her beer.

"Well, you certainly did."

"So, Peter told me the news about the baby."

Olivia frowned.

"What part?"

"About it being a girl. I have something for you. Well, technically for the baby. Wait here."

Olivia did as she was told, hearing the front door open and then close again as something heavy was dragged into the living room. Olivia moved again when the front door closed, making her way into the living room. Nina was standing beside a large crate. She took Olivia's arm, pulling her closer.

"Open it up and take a look."

Olivia did as she was told, pushing off the lid and removing the packing shavings. Nestled safely inside was a rocking horse.

"Nina, it's amazing."

Between the two of them, they got it out of the crate and onto the floor, where Olivia got a proper look at it. Clearly handcrafted, tan, with a saddle and tiny reins. It even had a mane and tail.

"Wow."

"I know it will be a while before she can use it but it's something she can keep. I hope you like it."

Olivia gently fingered the mane, surprised by the softness. The rocking horse as a completely flawless finish with no sharp edges for a small child to hurt themselves on.

"I love it. It's stunning. Where did you find it?"

"I found a guy that carves them from a single chunk of wood. He's in rather high demand. This took him three months to carve."

"I can see why. It's so damn intricate."

Olivia gave Nina a warm smile before surprising them both, pulling her into a hug. She felt Nina stiffen before relaxing into the embrace. Olivia felt the urge to cry. She was reminded again at how fortunate she was and how lucky her daughter was going to be. She hadn't even been born yet but she already had connections that would last for her entire life.

"Thank you Nina. For everything."

It wasn't a thank you for just the rocking horse; it was for her patience and stubbornness. She could have let this all go, written Olivia off but she hadn't. She had been there, sometimes in the shadows, watching and willing to help where she could.

"You are more than welcome. I'll always be here."

Olivia knew somewhere in her heart that Nina was telling the truth. It was the same way she knew that Astrid would always be there and Broyles. People like that never left your corner. And with that simple action, any reservations about Nina were gone. They might not have the relationship that Nina remembered but they could rebuild it. It just needed a little patience and time.

* * *

When Peter arrived home, she was just clearing up the dishes. The rocking horse was still in the living room and she heard the slight falter in Peter's steps when he saw it.

"Honey, why do we have a horse in our living room?"

Olivia smiled as she made her way out of the kitchen, leaning against the door frame.

"Nina got it for the baby."

Peter flicked on the light, moving in closer for a better look.

"That is a beautiful piece of work."

"Tell me about it. Took the man two months to carve apparently."

"I can see why."

Peter sighed, took off his coat and then pulled Olivia in to a hug.

"I missed you."

Olivia chuckled.

"That bad huh?"

"No. Walter's nudity is just not as appealing as yours."

"I find that deeply reassuring."

Peter leaned back and toyed with a strand of her hair.

"What are you doing?"

"The dishes."

"We have a dishwasher."

"I know. There's just something oddly soothing about doing them myself."

"You almost done?"

"Yes. Why?"

Peter didn't answer her, simply kissing her again. Even after an afternoon in bed, she forgot about the dishes and focused entirely on Peter's lips and his gentle touch as he searched for her skin under her clothes.


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N__ – Hey guys….So this is it. The end of 'Situation Vacant'. It's kind of sad but I hope that you guys all enjoyed the ride. Thank you for your patience with the cliff hangers….I must admit, I do love doing that to you guys!_

_So thank you for all the feedback and in some cases, suggestions that allowed the story to keep moving forward. I'm working on a new story at the moment so keep your eye out for it. It's called 'House Of Echoes'….it goes a little against the normal Fringe stories but with what I have planned, it should still be good! And if it helps, this one has Etta in it…..in all her delicious baby glory! _

_This last chapter is a little long but I wanted to finish off with something I began the story with in the first place..._

_So thanks again guys! And for the final time in this particular story…_

_Read, enjoy and review_

* * *

Chapter Thirty –Two – What Comes With Time

It had to happen, she couldn't escape it any more. Even with Peter's encouragement it still made her uncomfortable. It was something she didn't want to do. But as she sat in front of her wardrobe, realizing that almost nothing fit her anymore, she knew that she had to make the call. Rachel was incredibly enthusiastic and immediately started listing the places that they could go. Just talking about it made Olivia's feet ache.

"Come on Liv, it won't be that bad."

Olivia simply sighed, feeling restless. Her daughter, small as she was, was making it hard to sleep again as she did flips before kicking at Olivia's bladder.

"Yes it will. It's Rachel. I'll come back with clothes that are not what I would normally wear."

"And why is that bad?"

"Because it is."

Olivia felt irritable and antsy, not looking forward to the next day but it was something that had to be done. In the three weeks since she had gotten home, the only thing that really fit her were her beloved track pants and t-shirts. Thankfully Broyles hadn't called her back into action, something that she was grateful for. It was nice being at home with Peter. Peter had been back to the FBI a few times, bringing home the paperwork that they needed to fill out to close off the case. Officially, out of the two hundred test subjects, thirty were still missing, bodies in all likelihood, dumped when the B-serum killed them. Another fifty of them died before they could be helped and the survivors were all in various states of recovery. A few of them, despite Walter's best efforts, remained in comas, ones where Walter wasn't even sure if they would make it back. So the paperwork kept coming and Olivia occupied the hours where she couldn't sleep filling them in piece by piece.

"I hate shopping."

She sounded like a child but she didn't care. When she shopped it was never more than ten minutes or it was online. When Rachel shopped, it was hours of in and out of stores and changing rooms.

"I could come with you."

Olivia rolled into him, settling her head on his shoulder.

"I love you too much to put you through that kind of torture."

Peter chuckled.

"It won't be that bad."

Olivia sat up slightly to find his face in the dark.

"You've met Rachel right? That girl loves shopping. Plus, it gives her a nice break from the kids, which means she is going to make it worth the time away."

"I find it funny. You find dangerous situations, shrug and walk right into them. But my brave, gutsy wife is freaking out about a shopping trip? Who would have thought?"

Olivia punched him lightly.

"Stop teasing me."

Peter pulled her close.

"Sorry, I can't help it. Your Kryptonite is shopping and I find that hilarious."

Olivia sighed and settled herself back into Peter's side. He was asleep within a few minutes, his breathing deep and even. She wriggled from his embrace and headed downstairs, finding some of the never ending paperwork before heading to the nursery. She settled herself in the rocking chair, writing the tale that almost claimed her life over and over again.

* * *

When her alarm went off, she had only been asleep for a few hours. She opened her eyes long enough to switch off her alarm before snuggling back under the covers.

"Come on Beautiful, Rachel will be here in an hour."

Olivia opened her eyes to find Peter, still damp from the shower, a towel around his waist. He really was quite beautiful to look at, all narrow hips and defined muscle. She could see the scars that had happened over the years marring the skin, marking his bravery and adding to the essence that was Peter. Olivia sighed.

"Do I have too?"

Peter smiled widely.

"Yes. Nothing fits you anymore. And as much as I would love to see you wondering around the house naked, going outside may present a problem."

"I could get them adjusted."

"Then what will you wear when she arrives? Everything will be too big."

Olivia sighed again kicking off the covers. She pushed herself out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom. After her hot shower, she felt a little better about what was waiting for her when Rachel arrived. She took a moment to examine herself in the mirror before she got dressed. She had gotten bigger since she had first gotten infected. The skin across her stomach was even tighter now and when the baby shifted, if you watched closely, you could see the movement with surprising ease. The scar from the surgery had almost faded to nothing and with Walter's constant check-ups, she knew that everything was how it should be. In three months, their daughter would finally be with them. And Olivia was excited about the idea of finally seeing the little person that they had fought so hard to save. Over and over again, Peter would describe what he had seen when they had done the surgery but it wasn't enough for Olivia. She wanted to hold her, to kiss her and to play with the tiny hands and toes that she had seen on the screen. There was a slight knock on the door and then Peter poked his head around the corner.

"Liv, Rach is here."

Olivia frowned as she pulled her hair out of the messy bun.

"She's early."

Peter grinned.

"She's got a coffee and I'm about to show her the nursery."

"Ok. I won't be long."

Peter shut the door after him and Olivia finished drying herself off and tugged on a shirt and jeans, the only pair that still fit. They sat on her hips and required a belt to make sure they stayed in place, but for the moment, they had to do. She went into the bedroom, pulled on her most comfortable pair of shoes before following her sister's voice to the nursery. Rachel gave her a wide grin as she looked around the small room.

"Walter and Astrid did a great job."

"I know."

Rachel moved over to Olivia and gave her a tight hug. And for a moment, Olivia closed her eyes and held her sister. She had almost lost her too. She held her tight, smelling Ella on her sister and the light perfume that Rachel always wore. Rachel pulled back slightly, a small frown on her face.

"You ok?"

Olivia nodded and pulled Rachel back into a hug. She heard Peter chuckle.

"She's doing that hormone thing again."

She felt Rachel's smile on her neck.

"Oh I see. I love you too Liv."

When Rachel pulled back again, she grabbed Olivia's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Where did you get the rocking horse?"

Peter had managed to get it into the nursery without too much trouble, and it sat in the corner, waiting for the day that it's tiny owner could put it to god use.

"Nina gave it to the baby."

"She's got good taste. He's beautiful."

"I know. Next time Eddie comes over, he can test it out for us."

"He would love that. Right, are you ready to go?"

Peter smiled.

"I'll go find your keys and wallet."

He slipped from the room and Rachel turned back to Olivia.

"This is going to be fun."

Olivia sighed.

"I hate shopping."

"I know but it's all in one mall, I promise. You would have had to at some time."

"I know."

Rachel ran a quick hand over Olivia's stomach.

"She's getting big."

Olivia grinned.

"I know. I'm going to have to get her into a soccer team or something. She's got a hell of a kick."

Rachel grinned and with her hand still wrapped around Olivia's, they headed downstairs. Peter handed Olivia her keys and wallet, before kissing her lightly.

"Have fun."

"What are you doing today?"

"Astrid and Walter are coming over."

"Really? That sound like more fun than shopping."

"Be brave. It'll be over before you know it."

Peter kissed her again, before leaning forward and kissing Rachel's cheek too.

"Take care of her. Try to bring her back in one piece."

Rachel grinned.

"I don't make promises I can't keep."

Olivia didn't fight as Rachel tugged on her hand, pulling her out the door and into the sunshine.

* * *

Olivia had missed this. She realized fairly soon on that it clearly wasn't about the shopping for Rachel. Olivia sometimes forgot that in the midst of a case, everything got pushed aside. And that included her time with Rachel and the rest of the family. This was purely a chance for Rachel to touch base with Olivia and too make sure that she was ok. And Olivia deeply appreciated it. When they got to the mall, the trip over used to catch up with new stories of Ella and Eddie, Rachel grabbed her hand and pulled her to the food court, settling her in a seat before disappearing to get food. Olivia watched small families, and slightly bigger ones, weaving in and out of the stores. When Rachel reappeared, she placed a large tray filled with food on the table with a smile.

"I didn't know what you would want."

Olivia selected the pancakes, the sudden rumble of her stomach reminding her that she never go any breakfast. She dug in, sipping at the fruit smoothie that Rachel had gotten her. The meal passed in easy silence as they ate and picked at each other's plates. Olivia sat back, her hand on her stomach.

"I'm stuffed."

Rachel sipped at her coffee.

"Good. No such thing as too full when you are pregnant. So, do you want to know my plan?"

Olivia cocked her eyebrow.

"Sure."

"Well, I thought that we could hit Mummy and Me first, then Mona Lisa and finally Bra's and Things."

"I'm tired all over again."

"Well suck it up. Otherwise you'll be wondering around naked for the rest of the pregnancy."

"Peter said he didn't mind."

"Yeah but going to work might be a little harder."

You had to know Rachel really well to catch the tiny note of disproval when she said the word 'work'. When Olivia had first gotten involved with Peter, without Rachel knowing the truth, that disapproval used to be attached to his name. Olivia had come to Peter's defence but it was useless. He had to earn her trust all over again, and prove to Rachel that he had no plans to leave Olivia, that his plans involved them spending the rest of their lives together. Rachel had softened with the announcement of Olivia's pregnancy and now they were fine. But there was that lilt in her voice again.

"Rach-"

Rachel held up her hands.

"I'm just saying."

Olivia sighed.

"I can't just stop Rach, it doesn't work that way. They need me."

"For what? You can't really waddle after the bad guys."

"Well, I'm on leave at the moment."

"And how long is that going to last?"

"As long as the boss has his way, for good."

Rachel smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes. I don't want to go on desk duty, so we came to a compromise. Peter keeps working, I'll help where I can. Don't worry, Peter is doing that enough for both of you."

Rachel smiled, dropping the argument before it got too heated. Breakfast done, they started the crawl through the shops. The first half of the shopping, Olivia actually enjoyed. She let Rachel go off and pick the clothes while she played with the tiny outfits that her daughter would one day wear. She picked out two tiny shirts one with 'Daddy's Little Trouble Maker' across the front and another that loudly proclaimed 'Pop's Little Darling'. Walter would get a kick out of that one.

"Ok Liv, we have pants, a few tops oh and this. You need to try this."

The pants and tops from what Olivia saw were fairly standard. A few splashes of colour but nothing that Olivia found particularly annoying. The dress on the other hand was something else entirely. Mixes of blues and greens that faded in and out of each other, dipping low at the front. She raised one eyebrow at Rachel.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Believe me, it will be the most comfortable thing you will own."

Olivia took it with a sigh and headed to the changing room. She kept her back to the mirror as she pulled off her top and slipped on the dress. She took a deep breath before turning to face her reflection, cursing under her breath. She hated it when Rachel was right. The dress had a thin clenching under her breasts but it wasn't restricting, which was a refreshing change. The soft mix of blues and greens set off her eyes, making her hair look softer and her arms longer. The dip in the cleavage wasn't as bad as it first seemed but it was enough for Peter to be happy about.

"Well?"

Olivia pulled open the door.

"Ok, you are right."

Rachel smiled.

"I know."

Olivia pulled the door closed and quickly got changed. After paying they headed to the next store, where Olivia was subjected to the same again before they finally got to the lingerie section of the shopping trip.

"Hey Liv?"

Olivia was instantly suspicious of the innocent tone in Rachel's voice.

"Yes?"

"So, how are you and Peter?"

She should have known that this was going to come up at some point.

"Fine. Why?"

Rachel sighed.

"You know what I mean."

"We are….good. Very good."

Rachel grinned.

"I knew it. Got too much for you, did it?"

Olivia couldn't help the smile.

"Something like that."

Rachel chuckled and continued flicking through the bras and panties. Olivia had been too distracted to notice that Rachel had been adding to the load already in her arms. And not one item was plain or practical.

"Rach-"

Rachel held up her hand.

"Listen Liv, I'm been married longer than you so I am pulling the wisdom card on you for once in my life. Things can become…routine. You have kids and your world revolves around them. You don't forget your husband but things shift, priorities change. You need to keep the balance. And this-"

Rachel held up a pair of black, lace panties.

"Will help."

"We don't need-"

"Not now but at some point you will. When that little girl comes along, she will be your entire world. Why not have some fun while you can? Because, dear sister of mine, for at least the first few months you won't have much time for the fun. Your whole life will become diaper changes, check-ups, distracted kisses and struggling to put the little one on a routine. So we will get them in larger sizes as well as the small. Same with the bras."

Rachel smiled before Olivia could comment, talking to the woman behind the counter, where she pointed out the rather large maternity section. Rachel chatted her way through discussing colours and sizes. Olivia picked out an off white bra with removable front that would be perfect for when she was breast feeding, something that she intended to do after extensive reading. She tried on a few of the bras, just to confirm the size before paying for them at the register. By the time they made their way out of the mall, Olivia was fairly certain that what they had spent would have been enough for a small deposit on a little house. But Rachel wasn't done yet. When Olivia went to climb back into the car, Rachel shook her head.

"Not so fast. We are just getting rid of the baggage. We have one last thing to do since I know you're not going to be working for a while."

"What?"

"You'll see. Come one."

Rachel grabbed her hand and tugged her back into the mall. Only this time, Olivia was pleasantly surprised at what her sister had in store. She lead her into the manicurist with a wide smile.

"Peter's going to have to open all the jars and cans from now on."

* * *

When she arrived home, Rachel helped her bags inside and with a quick kiss to both her and Peter, she was gone. Olivia sighed as she took in the haul, looking worse now they had gotten it home. Peter crossed his arms, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

"Wow. She got you good, didn't she?"

"You have no idea. We won't be eating for a month."

Peter didn't try to hide the smile this time, chuckling as he moved forward, peeking into the first bag. He pulled out the tiny pink t-shirts.

"Oh Walter is going to love this."

"Look at the other one."

Peter did as he was told, laughing as he read the words.

"Nice. What else do you have?"

Before Olivia could protest, he found the lingerie bag, pulling out a pretty, pink bra.

"I like how Rachel thinks."

Olivia shook off the comment, gathering the bags. Peter gave her a hand and they headed upstairs. He sat on the bed as she started to unpack. His eyes locked onto the underwear as she removed tags and tucked them into the drawer.

"I think you should give me a show."

"Sorry?"

"You know, try some of that on."

"I don't think so."

Peter stood and wrapped his arm around Olivia's waist, causing her to pause. He kissed the lobe of her ear, his breath hot against the sensitive skin.

"I'm not used to seeing you in pretty pink things."

Olivia shuddered as Peter's hands found the bare skin of her hip, drawing lazy circles. She closed her eyes as he kissed her throat.

"They aren't all pink. Some are black."

"Oh really?"

Peter's hand abandoned her hip, running over the swell of her belly, before moving to the side, gently tracing her ribs. She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He pressed a gentle kiss to her jaw, her cheek and her nose. She angled her face to capture his lips but he shifted, avoiding the contact with a small smile.

"Runway show first."

His finger's skittered over her spine, tracing the ridges with light touches, causing her to shiver again. Peter had the upper hand. And he knew it.

"You play dirty, Mr Bishop."

Peter said nothing, just giving her another smile, his eyes intense. She stepped away with a sigh, blindly grabbing a handful of lingerie from the bag and heading to the bathroom. She shut the door and dipped into the bag, pulling out a piece of satiny material that she hadn't seen Rachel put through in the first place. She glanced at the tag. It was called a baby doll night dress and it went against everything that Olivia ever wore. She quickly stripped off, pulling it over her head and tugging on the matching underwear. She had to give Rachel credit, the girl had a talent for knowing sizes with a glance. She looked at her reflection and cursed her sister again. Despite how much Olivia hated the shopping trip, Rachel had struck gold all over again. The night dress bumped against the top of her thighs, hugging the curve of her breasts and the gentle swell of her stomach. The light blue of the fabric made her eyes seem darker, and accented the flush on her cheeks that Peter's light touches had produced. She silenced the little voice of doubt in her head with memories of just the other night and the look of desire in Peter's eyes as he leaned over her, his body shivering just as much, if not more, than her own. She was slowly learning to accept the fact that Peter didn't care about the stretch marks or the blue veins that laced over her breasts, stomach and thighs as her body continued to expand to accommodate the little lady that was growing inside of her. He didn't care that her confident stride was more now of a waddle as her hips changed position, getting ready for the birth. If anything, he seemed to find her even more attractive, barely able to keep his hands off her.

"Liv? You ok in there?"

His voice was curious and concerned and Olivia smiled. She sometimes forgot just how much she loved the man that stood on the other side.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

She heard him step away from the door and took a deep breath, glancing at her reflection on last time before pulling open the bathroom door and stepping back into their bedroom. Peter's face first held surprise and then it shifted, becoming intense as his eyes ran over every inch of her, from her toes, lingering on her breasts and then finally reaching her face.

"Remind me to thank Rachel."

Olivia smiled as she turned slowly.

"Really? It's just a night dress."

"Oh that's not just a night dress. That is the sexiest thing I have ever seen. Get over here."

She moved closer to the bed and Peter sat up a little straighter, watching her movements. When she paused, her legs bumping the bed, Peter's gently touched the edge of the nightdress. He kneeled on the bed and finally kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing her fingers into his hair, pulling slightly. He groaned in her mouth before deepening the kiss. He broke away from her long enough to tug the nightdress off her body and pulling her onto the bed. He made a gentle trail, lips following fingers as he kissed every inch of her before pausing at her stomach. He glanced up at her, his eyes dark and passionate.

"You have no idea, do you?"

Olivia frowned at his question.

"About what?"

"About just how beautiful you are."

She smiled as he leaned over her again, kissing his way back up her body until finally finding her lips again. He kissed her until she felt dizzy, until she didn't know where he began and she ended. He kissed her until she felt that beautiful connection that touching him caused, that moment where everything was perfect in the world and it was just Peter and Olivia, the perfect little place where nothing else mattered. She was beautiful because of him, because of what he made her feel. She was beautiful because he made her that way.

"Liv."

Her name was ragged on his lips, mouth barely moving from her own.

"I love you."

She smiled against his mouth, capturing his bottom lip, tugging gently, making him groan.

"I love you too."

It was Peter's turn to smile, gently stroking her face before kissing her again, pushing the rest of the world away.


End file.
